Summer Storm
by FallenWinterRose
Summary: He was the next chief of Berk and she was the adopted daughter of the most feared man in the Barbaric Archipelago. He had spent his whole life trying to find where he fit in, and she spent her whole life where her every move was scrutinized and criticized. Neither expected so much to result from one chance encounter in the woods... AU Hiccup/Astrid
1. Prologue

_**Hey, FallenWinterRose, here! I've loved this franchise for so long, that when this story idea came to my head I did my best to actually try writing it! I hope you guys like it, and that it's not too bad for my first attempt at fanfiction!:) Enjoy!**_

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Hiccup brushed himself off and got up from the floor and let out a cry of joy," Whoo! Oh well that really came out of nowhere-"

It was then that the boulder they'd managed to avoid crashing into collapsed and both Hiccup and Toothless turned towards the sound. Toothless growled in dismay as Hiccup simply returned to what he was doing and casually turned his back on the scene. He looked down at his prosthetic and rolled his eyes.

"We, we gotta work on you solo gliding there, bud," he said fiddling with his flying gear and suit," That a locked up tail makes for some pretty sloppy rescue maneuvers, aye?"

He removed his helmet after everything seemed to be in place and then took a good look around them and a small excited smile appeared on his face and he walked forward and gestured to Toothless," Ah, looks like we found another one, bud."

Toothless gave him an annoyed looked and somehow managed to hit him with a rock and he jumped he turned back in dismay. Toothless just turned around almost pouting and stubbornly refused to acknowledge him," Ah, what do you want an apology?"

He just let out an annoyed sound and Hiccup mockingly pouted right back," Is that why you're pouting, Big Baby Boo?"

Toothless once more stubbornly refused to acknowledge him," Well try this on for size!"

He playfully tried to wrestle with Toothless who wasn't having it and instead did his best imitation of a person walking and dangled him over the edge of the cliff they were on and he clung on to Toothless' neck letting out a cry of alarm,"Ah, ah...y-you're right! You win-"

And that was all it took and Toothless fell back and they wrestles playfully," Ah, and it's ugly! Dragons and Vikings- enemies again! Locked in combat to the bitter-"

And then they were quiet. A small noise caught their attention and they turned to it. They looked at each other before Hiccup shrugged and got up," Huh...I could've sworn...nevermind..."

He took out their map, had Toothless help him 'glue' another page, sharpened a pencil, checked his compass, and then scribbled a rough image of what was before him before turning back to Toothless and asked," So, what should we name it?"

Toothless was just scratching his armpit and he nodded shortly and said," Itchy Armpit it is." "What do you reckon, bud, think we might find a few Timberjacks in those wood, the odd Whispering Death or two in the mist? Maybe we'll find another Night Fury...wouldn't that be something..."

He trailed off dejectedly and sighed, he was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and the only son of Valka and Stoick the Vast Chief of Berk. The greatest chief in history to date, and who was adamant that he was of course capable of someday filling his shoes, and becoming the next chief of Berk... Life was good, and while Hiccup couldn't complain there were of course the drawbacks of having that looming over his shoulders.

He was restless with all the speeches, the lessons, the shadowing, the meetings, the paperwork, and the running the village. It just wasn't him, it was his Dad, and it would probably never be him...

But then what could be him? He didn't know who he was or what he was doing, but riding Toothless was the closest he'd ever gotten to finding out. He had gone against everything he'd believed in. He met Toothless and his life, and the lives of all of Berk, was changed forever. He'd begun the Berk Riding Academy along with Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins, and he had trained as hard as he could to get where he was now.

Flying gave him the freedom to escape reality even if, only for a few stolen moments here and there. And Toothless was amazing, he understood him better than anyone, and would do anything for him, and they were each other's best friend. He wouldn't have changed anything.

But it was never enough, there was always this feeling inside of him. He knew he was not his Father, and he was also not his Mother who for all other casualties aside was a wise and loving woman who was fiercely protective of her family and her village. She knew who she was and she carried out her role flawlessly as the Chief's wife, and everyone loved her.

Hiccup was trying to find himself, and while...as stupid and crazy as it sounded...a small part of him hoped against hope that what he was searching for was somewhere out there just waiting for him to find it.

He sighed tiredly and turned to Toothless who was playing in the grass around him and was about to call out to him when he got the sudden feeling that he was being watched and he looked around him and heard another noise. Toothless must have heard it too because he suddenly stopped playing and instead was at Hiccup's side in an instant.

He got up and looked around trying to discern what was going on when suddenly he turned and saw a blonde girl with a pair of stunning blue eyes the color of the sky on a Summer's day.

His own eyes widened and he stepped forward cautiously and tried to lure her out of hiding," Hey, there...what are you-"

But the next thing he knew was that she gasped in shock and turned and ran in sheer terror. Hiccup should've just left right then and there, but for some reason he couldn't let her go and instead jumped on Toothless and followed her. He could clearly see her running with all her might to get away and, while he could admit that she was pretty fast, she was also no match for a Night Fury.

They stayed out of sight, but followed her until she noticeably tired and probably assumed they were gone. She collapsed to the ground and was noticeably trying to catch her breath after all the running and she nervously fixed her windswept hair and brushed off her pale blue dress and readjusted her brown corset.

...

She gave an annoyed huff and ran a hand through her long blonde curls and said to herself," Well, I've obviously done a fabulous job today, now not only am I a mess, but if Father finds out what almost happened..."

She trailed off and the grim and frightened look on her face sent a chill down Hiccup's spine and he decided to stay concealed for now and oblivious she continued," It's bad enough he's always on my case about staying away from wild animals, but now a stranger?!"

She gave a sarcastic laugh and said," Now all I need is to befriend his dragon...whichever comes first and Father will be sure to disown me... unless of course it eats me before he ever finds out..."

She was Astrid Blubvist and she could almost hear his terrifying voice at this very moment just waiting for her back home as he expressed just how much of a disappointment, embarrassment, and disgrace she was and how easy it would be for him to cast his only daughter out to fend for herself as she was, after all, only Drago Blubvist's _adopted_ daughter.

Her adopted father had taken her in when she was a baby. He'd made sure to tell her how her own mother and father had gone straight to him and demanded he take their insolent daughter because she was a worthless disappointment and no longer wanted her. He'd made it clear that if her own parents hadn't wanted her, and he had been kind enough to take her in, he had no qualms over doing the same as them.

That was not a risk she was willing to take, considering everything Father had told her about The Barbaric Archipelago on his more pleasant days when she hadn't upset him. The Barbaric Archipelago was brutal, sadistic, dangerous, and overrun by savage beasts who roamed the skies at the command of cruel Vikings who wouldn't think twice about harming an innocent young girl.

Astrid understood why he worried and why he warned her, but she couldn't help but be curious. She wasn't one to stay inside for very long and longed to stretch her legs, and find...well anything but housework and cooking to do. Father expected her to be a perfect daughter who would sit still, stay quiet, look pretty, and cook and clean and sew.

She didn't know why he bothered when on more than one occasion he'd made it quite clear that she would never become what he wanted her to. He'd made it quite clear that she was too loud, too pathetic, too intelligent, and too ugly for her own good. And yet, she never gave up. It wasn't in her nature and while she knew it irked her father more than anything, she would do as she was told and do everything necessary before snatching a few stolen moments of freedom roaming the forest which was thankfully mostly free of dragons thanks to Father.

She'd been enjoying herself when she'd heard a loud crash near her and not long after, she heard a deep yet light-hearted voice following the crash. She'd known better than to follow it, but her curiosity got the better of her and she hid amidst the trees and greenery as the young man who didn't appear to be much older than her removed his helmet and appeared to be talking to...the dragon...

They'd seemed almost playful with one another, and when she'd made the careless mistake of stepping of a few stray branches the dragon had immediately come to the young man's aid.

Nothing seemed to add up, and just as she had been lost in her thoughts she'd drawn herself out of them and decided to leave while she could lest they discover her. She must not have been all there because she's made the careless mistake of stepping on more branches, but this time the young man saw her and had addressed her...somewhat kindly, but she hadn't paid him any attention and was out of there as fast as her legs could carry her.

She would be avoiding that area for a while, and decided that the best thing to do would be to forget anything ever happened in the first place. That way, Father would never find out and she would be able to remove the young man's deep green eyes and dark copper hair from her memory forever.

She smiled content and triumphantly before she noticed the sun starting to go down, and gasped," Oh, no! Father is going to be furious!"

She jumped up and ran once more, ignoring the protests coming from her aching legs and lungs. All of her thoughts were on making it home in time to set up dinner and avoid punishment from her father, but all of Hiccup's thoughts were on the mysterious blonde beauty with the expressive eyes and cautious nature.

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 ** _Hope you enjoyed and leave a review please! It would mean the world to me!_**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Hope you guys like this first real chapter! You get an idea of what's going on! I know Astrid may be a little OOC but it's understandably so considering what happens. Don't worry you'll see glimpses of the real AStrid until she finally- well...you'll see;)**_

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Astrid quietly made her way into the kitchen and lit a fire in what served as their dining room immediately. The house was still quiet, much to her relief, but she wasn't going to take any chances and immediately checked on the meal. In the kitchen the chicken was ready and had stayed pretty warm, and the broth was almost done, all she needed to do was set the table and ensure that Father's cup of mead remained full and she would survive the evening just fine.

She removed the broth from the kitchen fire and allowed it to cool before tasting it. It was okay, she thought to herself sadly, but like everything else she did it would not impress Father and mediocre was all she could ever hope to achieve.

She'd just finished filling their bowls and plates when Father stalked quietly into the house and sat himself at the head of the table and silently demanded his dinner.

Astrid silently obeyed and presented him his food to which he immediately started to dig in, and Astrid followed. They ate in silence, and when finished he bitingly smirked. Just as Astrid had predicted he said," It was mediocre but, then again, I suppose for you, that's as much as I can ever hope for."

Astrid hung her head down in shame but remained quiet. While her entire being protested against being meek and obedient, she had to go against her nature in order to avoid unnecessary consequences later. Tears or protests or arguments solved nothing when it came to her father. He was ruthless," Clean this mess up, and go to your room. I have work to do."

She nodded and stayed seated until he was gone and then immediately got to work cleaning up. By the time she got upstairs to her room, she was exhausted. Her legs ached, she was terrified, and she didn't know what do which was not a feeling she liked at all.

She made her way to her bed and plopped down not in the mood to make her way to the rose water bath that was sure to await her. She ran a ran through her blonde curls, which was becoming a habit now that Father refused to let her tie it back.

She sighed tiredly and made her way to the bathroom where one of the few servants Father allowed in the house was waiting for her. Hallberta had taken care of Astrid since she was a baby, and had become like a mother to her. Once Astrid came of marriageable age, Father had dismissed a great deal of servants in order for her to be introduced into how to run a household which meant she was now left to help the servants with the cooking, cleaning, and sewing.

She didn't mind, and while tedious and pointless, Astrid enjoyed spending time with the household. Hallberta, however, made sure that Astrid never had to do too much, and always let her indulge in the comfort and luxury provided to her by Father. She made sure that Astrid's clothes were laid out for her, her hair tended to, and her bath drawn everyday.

She didn't see the point considering she was nearing the age of 20, and the only men who would marry her were men who were only interested in getting onto good terms with Drago Blubvist or not interested due to her abhorrent nature.

Hallberta smiled kindly at her and ushered her into the bath where the oils and scent engulfed her and soothes her aching muscles wonderfully.

Hallberta left her to her own devices and she did her best to forget the entire day happened.

...

Hiccup's mind was racing the entire ride back home, and he knew he was making Toothless uneasy but there was little he could do about it. He'd thought that he'd discovered a new land, only to find that someone had discovered it first. The girl had been proof of that, and he couldn't help but be curious as to who else was there and what lay amidst the forest. Who was that girl, and why was she so terrified of him and Toothless. Vikings were tough and unflinching in situations, or at the very least indifferent. She'd been scared out of her wits, and that did not sit well with him if he were being completely honest.

There were so many things that he wanted to know, but for now he would wait it out.

Toothless let out a crooned questioningly and he patted his neck," Yeah, I'm okay, bud...but today was... yeah, it was something, huh?"

He made a noise in agreement and he laughed dryly," You know we're going back, right?"

Toothless made protested but he shook his head adamantly and chuckled," Uh, sorry, bud, but I'm serious about this. We're going."

Toothless grumbled, but that was the end of it for now because they landed right in front of his house. The biggest in the village and it stood atop a huge hill. It was a bit intimidating but held his fondest memories with his family and friends.

Smoke curled up into the sky from the chimney and signaled that dinner was ready. He took his helmet off and made his way inside. His dad, greeted him happily and enthusiastically," How was your day, Son?"

"Uh," Hiccup trailed off," It was good.."

"Good?" Stoick asked.

"It was very interesting," Hiccup said vaguely. His mom set dinner on the table and he went to go greet her with a kiss on the cheek," Hello, dear, you have fun out there?"

Hiccup nodded sitting down," Yeah, you're actually gonna love this, Mom, we thought we'd found some new land actually."

"You didn't?" Stoick asked confused.

Hiccup shook his head," Nope, just when I'd drawn it out and officially dubbed it 'Itchy Armpit', we saw this girl with blonde hair and blue eyes."

"A girl?" Valka asked interested," What happened?"

Hiccup sighed tiredly," Nothing, Mom, she ran away."

"Why would she do that?" Valka asked frowning," What did you do?"

"Nothing," he repeated," we were just going to introduce ourselves when she ran off absolutely terrified."

"She can't have outrun you, son, not with that Night Fury of yours," Stoik determined," So you either didn't follow her at all, or you let her go."

"I let her go," he said with a huff," She obviously didn't want to be found, and while I don't know why, I wasn't about to force her to talk to us..."

Valka smiled sympathetically and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder," You did well, son, the poor lass."

Stoik just grinned knowingly," You're going back aren't you?"

Hiccup tried to play it off casually," What? I have no idea what you're talking about, Dad... I-"

"I know you, son," he said cutting him off," You won't rest until you get to the bottom of this."

"Dad..." Hiccup began with a tired sigh.

"There's nothing wrong with that," he reassured him," Just make sure you're not biting off more than you can chew."

Valka nodded," You don't know what's going on. You're in unknown territory, and if she was as terrified as you said she was, then something is probably off right here, don't you think so, dear?"

Hiccup thought back to how her blue eyes had filled with terror at the mere sight of them, and he felt a chill run down his spine. His mom was right, he had to be careful unless he wanted to risk making things worse for everyone involved.

He nodded grimly and gave his parents a reassuring look," Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing...what's the worst that could happen?"

Stoick gave him a deadpan look and Hiccup looked away feigning innocence and Valka interjected," Good, now let's finish eating."

And just like that Hiccup's thoughts remained with the mysterious blonde, and how he would manage to get some answers.

...

Astrid woke up to see Hallberta shaking her awake and she asked groggily," What?"

"Wake up, lass," she ushered," There's a lot of work to be done, and you don't want your father to see you slacking off now, right?"

Astrid sighed but did as she was told," No, I guess not..."

Hallberta smiled comfortingly and went to get Astrid's things ready for the day as Astrid diligently made her bed and swept the floor and made sure everything was in it's place before sitting before her vanity and allowing Hallberta to brush her hair and get her ready for the day.

Hallberta handed her a deep burgundy dress, and brown corset on top, brown flats, and her regular kransen placed on her head, she dabbed some rosewater on her wrists and neck, and she was done.

Hallberta kissed the top of her head before they began their actual chores for the day. Astrid helped Hallberta sweep the entire house, make lunch, start dinner, and so on. It seemed as though the chores never ended, but no matter how much work Astrid did she could never overcome her restlessness.

It seemed as though no matter what she did she always managed to further dishonor Father after all he'd done for her, and that terrible feeling in her gut never seemed to go away.

Hallberta handed Astrid some potatoes to peel and she asked," Did Father already leave?"

She nodded," He left rather early this morning...something about a new shipment..."

Astrid shivered involuntarily. A new shipment meant more dragons that Father had managed to capture in order to protect everyone. He had brought her along with him a couple of times when she was younger, and she would never forget the menacing sounds they made as they struggled against the bonds of their cages. She would be forever grateful to her father for all he did for everyone. He protected her and everyone else, whether they acknowledged it or not.

She knew that Father was expecting a new shipment of dragons, and that he was very anxious to receive this particular shipment. Astrid didn't know why exactly, but knew better than to ask. She knew her job was to cook and clean and look pretty, and she wasn't even particularly great at _that_ to begin with.

Her thoughts involuntarily went towards the young man from yesterday, and she found herself hoping he was smart enough to stay away. He didn't seem that horrible, Father always warned her about how deceiving Vikings tended to be, and Astrid found she didn't want Father to find him. If he did the young man wouldn't stand a chance.

The mere thought brought along serious worry, and Hallberta seemed to sense it and she frowned in concern," Oh, are you alright, lass? "

"I'm fine," Astrid said trying to force a smile like she'd been raised to do to cover up her true feelings, but like every other time before, she failed.

Hallberta pulled her into a motherly hug and kissed the top of her head, and Astrid let her as it allowed her to conceal her true feelings and thoughts.

It seemed as though Thor was truly watching over her because Hallberta immediately took the potatoes from her and ushered her outside," You've been inside too long, dear. You need some fresh air, and then you'll be good as new! Go."

Astrid hesitated before listening to her and hoping that she wasn't too late.

...

Hiccup was waiting with Toothless eagerly awaiting to catch even a glimpse of the girl. He easily found his way back to the cliff where they'd crashed the other day. He'd considered looking around and trying to find her, but decided against it.

Toothless was happily frolicking in the grass and he stared off over the cliff and took in the forest beneath them. He got lost in his thoughts for a bit when he heard a slight rustle in the trees and he smiled slightly.

He turned to Toothless who had already heard and was by his side in a flash. They looked around and waited. After a moment they heard more rustling before their 'surprise' visitor made her grand entrance.

Hiccup had to remember to breath as he took in her loveliness. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone like her in his entire life. Her blonde hair hung down her back in loose waves, her eyes were the same sky blue color that had haunted his thoughts from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her, and she was slight in built but not short. He also noticed that she kept a tentative pace as she walked towards them as though she thought they were going to attack her or something.

He did his best not to provoke her running away again and he noticed that Toothless did his best to be the least threatening he could be. The girl grew more at ease and finally stopped right in front of him and took a shaky deep breath.

He smiled gently and said," Uh, hey."

She frowned a bit startled for some reason but composed herself and nodded.

"Who are you?" he asked wanting to know just who she was and where she was from.

She took another breath before finally speaking," It doesn't matter who I am."

He frowned," I'm sorry?"

She didn't back down surprisingly and said pleadingly," You have to leave now and take the dragon with you."

"But why?" he asked thoroughly confused," Is something wrong? Do you need help?"

She shook her head startled," No, there's nothing wrong, but you aren't exactly welcome here. If anyone were to find you...er...both of you-"

"But that doesn't answer my question," he protested," Why would _we_ not be safe here, and _you_ are?"

She seemed a little anxious at the beginning but now her expression gave way to annoyance and he felt a bit confused as to why that only intrigued him even further," I'm safe because this is my home, and my father will protect me. You are a complete stranger... with a _dragon_ for Thor's sake! "

"What do you mean with a dragon?" he asked now a bit wary," Do you have something against them still?"

"What do you mean _still_?" she shot back as though he wasn't making any sense.

"Dragons are no longer a threat," he tried to explain as calmly as possible while he gave Toothless a reassuring pat," I mean... does this look like a bloodthirsty vicious monster?"

Toothless gave her his best gummy smile and she softened for a split second before she subtly shook her head as though to clear her thoughts compose herself," It doesn't matter what you think or say or do, you can't be here, and I just came to warn you."

She made a move to leave when Hiccup automatically reached forward and caught her arm," Wait, can you at least tell me your name?"

She hesitated once more before mumbling," Astrid."

He smiled, it suited her," I'm Hiccup and this is Toothless."

She raised a questioning eyebrow and he didn't know whether it had to do with his name or Toothless'. She didn't say anything else before she ran off without another word.

"Astrid, huh..." he said a grin sneaking its way onto his face. Toothless crooned questioningly and he shook his head," I'm fine, bud, but I don't think this is going to be the last time we come back..."

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 ** _So there you go! Hope you guys are interested because there's one more chapter to go for today, and then I'll try and update when I can!:)_**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Okay, you guys, last chapter for tonight! Hope you like it!_**

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Astrid hurried home careful to make sure no one was around which for some reason was not a problem today. All the men were off with Father and taking care of the new shipment, and the women were inside doing the chores.

She made her way home now satisfied she did her best to warn the young man-er _Hiccup_ , and she would be able to go about her day. At least she hoped she would, for some strange reason she had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be the last she saw of him. She didn't know how she felt about that.

She pushed all of that to the side and went inside where Hallberta was finishing dinner up, and she rushed to set the table. They waited together while she waited for Father to come home. He was a little later than usual and Astrid couldn't help but worry. Her thoughts went towards Hiccup and she hoped he'd taken her advice.

Her worries lessened as Father entered and he silently made his way to the dinner table and began to eat. Astrid hurried over and Hallberta left the room.

Astrid had expected them to have a typical silent meal but Father spoke up in his typical calm and collected manner," The men and I are heading out tomorrow in search of more dragons."

Before she could stop herself she blurted out," Why?"

For once he didn't berate her for speaking out of turn and simply stated," We've cleared out these woods, we need to move out if we want to keep going."

She knew she should have just accepted his answer but she couldn't help but ask," How long will you be gone?"

"A few weeks at the very least," he said calmly," Two months at the latest."

She nodded and, while she had so many other things she wanted to say and ask, she decided not to push her luck. Having said what he wanted to he rose and left the dining room and she immediately went to go clean up.

She washed everything quickly enough and the servants were nice enough to sweep for her and she made her way upstairs where Hallberta was already waiting for her with a sympathetic smile," I'm sorry, lass."

She shook her head with a forced smile," I'm fine, Hallberta, he'll be back soon enough."

Hallberta gave her a knowing look and simply helped prepare her bath and left.

Once alone Astrid sighed tiredly and prayed to the Gods above that Father would make it home safely. She knew he was Drago Bludvist, and that if anyone would be fine it would be him, but that didn't mean that she didn't still worry. These were dragons they were talking about and they would be sailing and traveling into uncharted territories in search of the vicious beasts.

Her thoughts, of course, went back to Hiccup and... _Toothless_... They hadn't seemed as vicious or barbaric or cruel as Father had verbally and physically instilled in her from childhood. They'd been friendly and kind, and the dragon hadn't seemed at all threatening. She doubted he was, as his namesake lead to believe, 'toothless'. But the way he treated Hiccup was playful yet fiercely loyal, and from what she'd seen he'd acted almost like an overgrown house pet.

Her mind also went back to the crazed bloodthirsty dragons she'd been exposed to in her childhood, and they only made her mind reel even more. She didn't know what to think anymore, and she wondered vaguely if this was why Father and all the other men had tried to instill in her to avoid thinking or looking too deeply into things. This was why she was told everything she did was for the best.

It didn't matter anyhow, they were both gone, and that was that. Things would go back to how they were and that would be the end of these conflicting thoughts.

...

Hiccup flew for the rest of the day with Toothless and thought about what he would be doing next. The girl- _Astrid_ \- had obviously gathered a lot of courage to warn him to stay away. He found that to be pretty courageous and, if he were being honest, pretty endearing, as well.

She was still scared, but he didn't know if it was him or Toothless or someone else... She was scared but she still managed to bring herself to tell him to leave and he'd even gotten her name. Now that was what he called progress!

He was still worried, and didn't know if he should risk either Toothless and himself or Astrid. She hadn't convinced him that she would be fine, and while he didn't want to do anything drastic just yet, he couldn't sit back and do nothing. He was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III and he didn't know the meaning of doing nothing in these situations.

He would ask his parents about what to do, even if he had a pretty good idea of what he was going to do anyways. Regardless of what she said, she didn't seem okay, and anyone that terrified had to have something going on. And until he found out what it was he would do his best to help from afar. He would have to get his parents advice before, his mom's particularly.

Toothless made a short sound and he watched as Berk drew nearer and nearer until he was overhead the forge. He headed inside and Gobber waved his prosthetic in greeting," Nice of ya ta join the party, lad..."

Hiccup gave him a pointed look, but it didn't last as Gobber immediately motioned to a pile of weapons and he didn't need to be told twice and immediately began sharpening them.

"So where have you been?" Gobber asked with his usual teasing lilt to his voice.

Hiccup groaned," What did Dad tell you?"

"Oh," Gobber said chuckling," Nothin' much...just that you've been meeting up with a special lady friend..."

"Not this again..."

"I'm just saying," he said casually," Ya wont be young and carefree forever... Pretty soon you'll end up looking like-"

"Like you," he deadpanned hoping he would stop, but he didn't and merely nodded enthusiastically," Exactly."

He rolled his eyes," Gee, thanks, Gobber, for the unending confidence in me. It's nice to know what you expect from me."

Gobber shrugged innocently," Well, someone had to say it around here."

"And _thank_ you," he said," But I think I'm good, for now."

"So who is this lass?" he said as though he hadn't said anything," Is she a pretty little thing?"

Hiccup sighed tiredly," You're getting to be worse than Mom!"

"Well...?" he pressed teasingly.

He gave up and merely said," Her name's Astrid, she had blonde hair, blue eyes, she's beautiful...and oh! Did I mention she wants nothing to do with me?"

"Nothing?" he asked asked incredulously," I seriously doubt that..."

"No she went right out and told me," he insisted," Not in those exact words but she did say I shouldn't go back."

"Why not?" Gobber pressed.

"Something about it not being safe for me and Toothless, and something about her father," he said trying to remember her exact words.

Gobber chuckled good naturedly," Then that means you still have a chance!"

"Did you not hear what I just said?" he demanded.

"But if she bothered to warn ya'," he said," then that means she cared enough to do so, and she might be sweet on you yet..."

Hiccup sighed annoyed," Even if that were the case, which it's _not_ -"he said at the sight of the blacksmith's face," I'm going to listen-"

"For now," Gobber said knowingly.

Hiccup tried to feign innocence and failed miserably," What? I have no idea what you're talking about-"

"Oh yes ya do," he said," You wouldn't be Hiccup if you didn't have some crazy scheme in the works as we speak."

Hiccup couldn't help the grin that made it's way onto his face, and Gobber continued," Just remember to be careful...you barely know the girl and you have no idea what's going on. "

"We're Vikings," Hiccup protested in his best Stoick impersonation," It's an occupational hazard."

Gobber chuckled," Yes, but we're not crazy."

"Oh right," Hiccup said casually," That's just me."

Gobber shook his head amused, and then shooed him outside," Now, off with you, lad! Val will have my head if you're late for dinner."

Hiccup laughed," Yeah, and we wouldn't want that now..."

Gobber only chuckled and the sarcastic yet caring blacksmith's laughter were the last thing Hiccup heard as he shut the door to the forge and headed home.

...

Hiccup walked inside the big house with Toothless right beside him. His parents were already seated and he kissed his mom on the cheek right before taking his seat.

"Did you see her?" Stoick asked teasing.

He gave him an accusing look," I don't know what you're talking about..."

Valka laughed warmly," Oh, please, son! "

He laughed with her and nodded reluctantly," I saw her..."

"And?" Stoick pressed.

"And..." he said trailing off a bit," She was still terrified, and basically told me to leave and never come back..."

"What did you do?" Valka asked in concern.

"I didn't do anything," he protested," I just showed up, and she went up to us, still terrified I might add, and told us that we need to leave for our own good."

"Did she say why?" Stoick asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

Hiccup shook his head," No, but I get the feeling that they aren't very fond of dragons. She was terrified of Toothless, and even said that he was part of the reason."

"That doesn't seem right..." Valka muttered," Did you find anything else?"

"No, " he said," but I did find out her name was Astrid."

"Astrid?" Stoick asked confused," The name seems familiar... but why?"

Valka nodded but waved it off," What are you going to do now? The lass obviously can't do anything, and she already told you as much. What now?"

"I wait," he said," There's nothing I can do, but wait for her, and do my best from here."

Stoick gave him a look," You're not going to do anything? At all?"

"Well..." he said trailing off.

Valka smiled knowingly," What are you going to do?"

"Well," he said smiling gratefully," I can't shake the feeling that something is off about this, and the only way I could get some peace of mind would be to ensure she was okay at all times."

"And how do you propose that would work out?" Valka asked interested.

"I was wondering if we could send a Terror to watch out for her?" he said," They would be small and insignificant enough to not raise suspicion, and if something were to happen we would be the first to know."

Stoick and Valka considered this before he nodded," That's not a bad idea... You can send it tomorrow, right, dear?"

Valka nodded," It would give me some peace of mind, as well. We don't know what the poor lass is going through."

Hiccup beamed and said," Thanks, you guys!"

They nodded and Stoick said," Don't thank us, son, this is nothing."

He smiled nonetheless and was already thinking about what he would be doing tomorrow.

...

Astrid woke early the next morning and took extra care to make sure she looked perfect down the the last curl on her head. Hallberta accompanied her to see her father off.

He acknowledged her presence there with a simple nod in greeting and gave her a warning glance as a farewell and he was off.

Astrid didn't know how to feel when he left. She knew that she should be sad and devastated he was leaving like a good daughter should, but the relief she always felt was imminent. It was as though a huge load were taken off of her shoulder until the guilt settled in.

Hallberta escorted her back home where she was about to go help with the chores as usual when Hallberta and the small staff stopped her and she looked at them questioningly," What?"

"You don't have to trouble yourself, lass," Hallberta assured her," With you father gone, there's no reason for you to do anything. There's little to no cooking to be done except for us, and the cleaning is easy."

Astrid was still confused," So, what do I do, then?"

Hallberta smiled," Go out, and enjoy this time off. You deserve it!"

Astrid hesitated until Hallberta physically ushered her outside with a basket of food and left no room for argument much to the agreement of the rest of the staff.

Astrid pushed her bangs out of her eyes and smiled wryly. This was why she loved Hallberta and the rest of the staff. They truly cared about her, and they did their best to show it.

She made her way towards the woods, and didn't realize she was heading towards the cliff until she found herself taking in the view.

She considered leaving and finding another spot, but decided against it. Besides, she'd already made it quite clear that Hiccup shouldn't come back.

With that peace of mind she settled down on the ground and took out the food and ate her lunch. Hallberta had packed some fruit, leftover chicken from the other night, some fish, and some mead.

She ate the chicken first and took her time. She reached for the fish next and, again, took her time. She must have started daydreaming or something because the more time passed the less fish there seemed to be even though she didn't remember eating any of it.

She found it odd, and frowned. She shrugged it off and was about to reach for more when she heard a small growl coming from the basket and gasped in alarm as a small sneaky Terrible Terror was rummaging through it. She back away in fear and took the basket away and tried to run but to no avail.

The Terror just followed her and she ran faster and faster until she eventually tired out. She looked around and smiled when she saw nothing. She was about to bask in her victory when she felt something on her head and touched it.

The Terror jumped off and she looked at the thing almost accusingly but it just stared back at her pleadingly. Eventually she decided that she only had one chance. She rummaged through the basket and took out a fish. She threw it at the small dragon and said in as calm a voice as she could manage," There! You got your food now go away!"

It stared at the fish and immediately gobbled it down, and made a contented sound. She prayed to the Gods above that it would leave immediately but instead, much to her dismay, it did the opposite. Like a small dog it immediately placed itself at her feet and stared up at her obediently.

She frowned in shock and shook her head," Sweet baby Thor in a thunderstorm, this is not happening..."

It only purred, content to be near her, and she tried to walk away," Go away!"

It didn't seem to understand and only trailed behind her faithfully. She glared at it and instead gave up and decided to wait it out. She couldn't go home with a dragon trailing after her, but she couldn't exactly fight it herself and running away from it was pointless.

It seemed to sense her defeat because it sneakily made it's way to perch on her head and she shooed it away and sat down once more. She pried it off of her and set it down as far away as possible from her," Stay."

Again, it didn't seem to understand, and instead curled itself up next to her and demanded more fish. She sighed in annoyance and gave him the rest of the fish in the hopes that it would take the hint. It didn't of course, and instead fell asleep.

Astrid took this as her chance to escape and she ran for it and stealthily as possible. She'd made it pretty far until a family sound came from on top of her head and she gave an annoyed huff and pried him off once more," Go away! You can't be here!"

It was then when she noticed he had a small piece of paper attached to him and she grabbed it. She set the insufferable lizard down and opened the note. It read:

 _Don't be mad, but this little guy should keep an eye out for you. He's very friendly, and is pretty harmless. If anything happens just send a note with him and he'll bring it immediately.  
-H_

Astrid's annoyance only multiplied at the stubborn boy's meddling and she glared at the Terror and said," You're not going anywhere...are you?"

It didn't answer of course and she was left with the question as to how this would work out. The little dragon didn't seem threatening now that she thought about it and she looked at it thoughtfully. It was a sneaky little thing and she immediately dubbed the dragon Sneaky. It fit, but she realized a moment after that she was getting attached to something that if she was caught with her father wouldn't think twice about disowning her or worse.

"You need to go. You can't be here...if anyone sees you... "she pleaded once more," You can't even understand me, can you?!"

It cocked its head to the side and jumped into the basket. She frowned," Get out of there!"

It only nestled in deeper and she looked at it thoughtfully. The small dragon was now completely hidden from sight and no one would be able to tell the difference. She couldn't help the wry smile that appeared on her face," Maybe you're smarter than I gave you credit for... Sneaky..."

It only warbled in reply and she sighed tiredly and returned to the edge of the cliff. The Terror climbed out of the basket and settled itself on her lap and she was too exhausted now to push it off, and decided that if she was going to die because of a Terrible Terror...so be it.

The terror was actually pretty warm but her simple dress didn't provide much warmth, none of her dresses did. They were, after all, made for housework and chores. They weren't meant for the outside or the cold, and if she was cold it was her own fault. She guessed this arrangement wasn't completely awful if he could fend off the cold.

She was brought out of her silent musings by him- Sneaky...prodding at her hand. She raised an eyebrow at it's antics and then realized it wanted her to pet him, the absurd thing. Normally she would have refused but she was in no spirits to do so and obliged. It purred happily and she laughed a bit.

This had been a trying day, and she was just glad that she wouldn't have to deal with Father when she got home. She would eat peacefully, hopefully with the servants, and then take a relaxing bath and go to sleep. Sneaky would have to hide, but she doubted that would be a problem for him and she wasn't worried. She would have prefered to have the small dragon leave, but didn't know how to do that.

She wouldn't dwell on it for long, though, it would have to leave eventually. She wouldn't be responsible if it did get caught, and that was enough for now.

...

Hiccup left as soon as he was sure that the Terrible Terror wasn't going to leave, and that Astrid was fine. She was fine after the initial fear wore off, and was replaced with annoyance and then reluctant acceptance which was more than he could have ever hoped for.

He reluctantly made his way back to Berk, but not without stealing one last look of Astrid. Toothless pushed him along and he nodded whispering annoyed," Yeah yeah...I know, bud, I'm going!"

He got on Toothless' back and they were off. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he felt better having done something. Now all that was left was to see what was going to happen now. He didn't know, but he knew that he had to figure out what was going on.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and he wouldn't stop until he found what and why that was...

* * *

There you go! Please leave a review please and don't forget to fave and follow!:D Bye!


	4. Chapter 3

**_Hey, you guys! I hope you enjoyed the first few chapters and thank you for the lovely reviews! They meant the world to me! Things are going to get a bit interesting towards the end... Enjoy!_**

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless landed easily enough and made their way to the dragon academy where Fishlegs was in the middle of Dragon training.

He smiled and waved," How's everything going, Fishlegs?"

Fishlegs turned around and grinned," Not too bad, I think we're making real progress today!"

He nodded and looked around seeing a good number of people and even some younger children and adolescents as well. He didn't see everyone though and he asked," Where's everyone else?"

"Snotlout went with his Dad," Fishlegs said," He's started his training as future second-in-command."

Hiccup nodded understanding. It seemed like his uncle had the same idea as his dad for him and his cousin, and Fishlegs continued sheepishly," The twins are around here...somewhere..."

Hiccup sighed and ran a hand through his hair," Of course they are..."

Fishlegs tried to be reassuring," I'm sure they'll be back, you know how they are."

"I do, but that doesn't mean that they should be slacking off either," he retorted firmly.

Fishlegs frowned a bit but then remembered something," Your dad came by, and said to tell you to go find him when you got back."

"Chief training?" Hiccup guessed.

Fishlegs nodded," Yeah, I think you're going to be pretty busy from now on."

Hiccup nodded tiredly and then asked," Will you be okay here by yourself?"

Fishlegs waved him off," Of course."

He smiled thankfully and with one last once over of the academy, he was off to find his dad.

* * *

Astrid headed home as it grew colder and Sneaky didn't even need to be told to get inside the basket, much to her dismay, and she shook her head wryly and didn't say anything.

Hallberta quickly ushered her in and lead her towards the fireplace," Let's warm you up a bit, lass."

She smiled gratefully," I'm fine, but thank you, Hallberta."

She waved her off and returned into the kitchen and Astrid took this opportunity to hide Sneaky. She took him out and just said," Go."

He was immediately gone and by the time Hallberta returned not even she knew where the little dragon was. Hallberta walked over to her and smiled kindly," Are you going to want to eat with us, dear?"

She nodded immediately and said," Yes, please."

She smiled even wider and wrapped a comforting arm around her," Let's go then."

Astrid entered the kitchen where the rest of the staff greeted her warmly. She sat down next to Hallberta who served her a generous serving of chicken broth. A generous serving she wasn't normally allowed to indulge herself with due to the fact that her future husband would never want her if she were fat. She'd forgotten what it was to have a full serving and the feeling of being full itself that it was almost dizzying.

She tried to ignore the sympathetic looks everyone was giving her and did her best to join in on the conversations. They took the hint and the rest of dinner went by pretty well.

Astrid insisted on helping with the dishes, much to everyone's protests. She didn't care and said," Father isn't going to be away forever, and if you keep spoiling me, I'll have to pay for it later."

Hallberta only patted her cheek," Oh, lass, you shouldn't listen to everything your father says-"

"Why?" Astrid demanded.

"Because you don't need to, dear," she said," You don't need to do exactly as he says to get a husband. Anyone would be crazy not to want to marry you."

"Well then they _all_ must be insane," Astrid deadpanned before she caught herself and she mentally berated herself for her little slip up.

Hallberta didn't seem to notice or chose not to and only said reassuringly," You're young yet, lass, you still have plenty of time to enjoy yourself before you settle down."

"Enjoy myself where?" she demanded thinking of the confining walls around her that separated her from the rest of the world taunting her as she watched from afar on top of the cliff," There isn't anywhere to go. Father only expects one thing from me, and I still manage to screw that up."

They finished the dishes and Hallberta comfortingly lead her upstairs and got her bath ready," You haven't screwed anything up, and even if you had...I'm sure the Master would understand."

She gave her a look," Yeah, right."

Hallberta shrugged and let her bathe in peace and as soon as the door closed Sneaky appeared, obviously proud of himself. He perched on the edge of the bathtub and Astrid sighed having hoped to not deal with any more problems for a while.

Sneaky seemed oblivious to her worry and just stared around the small room. Astrid stared at him and finally said," You're going to have to go back, you know?"

He looked at her blankly and she huffed," You can't stay here, and the minute he comes back you're going with him."

He tilted his head to the side and she side submerging herself in the water and Hallberta came in not long after. Sneaky was already long gone, and was probably hiding somewhere in her room.

Astrid dried her hair and got ready for bed and Hallberta kindly reminded her," Sleep as late as you want, lass. We'll be fine."

Astrid didn't bother to protest already knowing she was too used to waking up early anyways. Sleeping in was now virtually impossible for her, but she would enjoy going outside. As soon as Hallberta left, Sneaky once again appeared out of nowhere and made himself comfortable on Astrid's bed and curled up near her. She would never admit that he was pretty comforting, and that she almost wished she didn't have to send him back.

* * *

Hiccup had spent the day shadowing his dad, who was thrilled that he was finally getting a chance to truly show him what being chief was all about. He and Snotlout did their best to get through their respective father's enthusiasm, but to no avail.

He loved Berk, and he loved the people, but he couldn't see himself ever running it himself. Especially not with Snotlout as second in command. It didn't seem real, and he was thankful when it was almost time to go home.

Just as the they were about to go a ship was seen in the distance and they were surprised to see that it was Trader Johann. He looked at his dad questioningly and he nodded and they mounted their dragons and met Johann halfway.

They jumped down and greeted him. He greeted them in return, but he got straight to the point and said," I have some bad news."

"What is it, Johann?" Stoick asked.

"On my recent travels, I ran into some friends of mine," he began," They told me some rather upsetting news that worried me, and I hurried to inform you, Stoick."

"What did they say," Hiccup pressed.

"They said that there are dragon trappers not that far away," he said," They're capturing as many dragons as possible and-"

"That isn't especially concerning," Stoick said frowning," Not everyone has made peace with the dragons. That's normal."

"Yes, but you don't understand, Stoick," he pressed," They are building a dragon army...or at least the guy they're working for..."

"Who is he?" Stoick demanded serious now.

"Drago Bludvist," Johann said terrified.

At the mention of that name Stoick's eyes narrowed and his expression turned grim and he switched into chief mode automatically," Thank you, Johan."

He turned to Hiccup and said gruffly," Come on, son, we have to round all dragons, seal the gates, lower the storm doors, and protect Berk for what's coming."

"But what are you talking about, Dad?" Hiccup exclaimed incredulously," Why? Who is this guy? Why do this just because some guy you know is causing trouble in some far off land?"

"Because this is no ordinary man, Hiccup," he said," He's a madman without conscience or mercy and if he's built a dragon army...God's help us all..."

Hiccup blinked up as his dad mounted Skullcrusher and raced back to the shores of Berk. He didn't know what was wrong, but if it was enough to concern Dad, then he truly feared for whatever was coming next.

He thanked Johann, and was about to mount Toothless when he turned," Do you know where this guy is?"

After giving him simple directions, Hiccup was left with the feeling that he knew where it was, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. He brushed it off and went after his dad, and waved goodbye to Johann.

He and Toothless flew as fast as ever and caught up with Stoick just as he was giving orders to shut the gates and doors. He turned to see his mom just taking everything calmly and equally as grimly and his dad, and he was more lost than ever.

"Dad!" he exclaimed," We can't just take this sitting down and in hiding! If we go after him and try to talk some sense into him, we can-"

"No," he refused," we have to protect our own and fortify the island!"

"But what about the peace?!"

"It's over!" he shot back," It's time to prepare for war..."

"But what about everything we've accomplished in that last couple of years?" he demanded," Was it all for nothing?"

"No, but some people can't be reasoned with," he said," Berk is what you need to worry about."

Hiccup wanted to protest but then looked around at the franticness and chaos and he realized," A chief protects his own..."

Stoick nodded firmly," Exactly."

And he was off leaving Hiccup to be swept away in the caos wondering just what was going to happen next.

* * *

Astrid had spent the entire week trying and failing to help the staff. She woke up to find Sneaky still curled up into her side and she petted him absent mindedly. She got up, and got dressed as usual. He woke up not long after and she made her way downstairs leaving him to his own devices.

Once downstairs, she found that her breakfast was already out for her. She sat down by herself and ate her food, and wondered what she would be doing today. Hallberta, obviously didn't want her doing any real work, but she didn't like the feeling of being idle. She enjoyed being productive as much as exploring but she just wished there was another way.

Housework was not the ideal choice, but it was all she had, and all she knew. What else was there? Sneaky curled around by her legs and she almost jumped in surprise. She gave him a look, which he ignored, and then she sighed. She picked up her dishes, and made her way towards the kitchen. She washed them and then was about to do something when a note caught her eye.

It read:

 _Don't you dare try anything, lass. You are to go outside and enjoy yourself! You will continue to do so until your father returns, and none of us will accept anything less..._

 _Have fun!_

 _\- Hallberta_

She rolled her eyes, but smiled warmly. Hallberta truly did care about her, and she knew better than to argue with her this early in the morning. She also knew even better to not argue after an entire week of doing so already. She knew how to pick her battles, and this was not worth it.

So she picked up Sneaky, and raced outside. She had just made it to the cliff when a familiar figure approached her and this time she wasn't surprised.

...

Hiccup emerged out of the bushes and approached Astrid calmly, and she faced him with no fear evident anymore. He took this as a good sign and was about to speak when she beat him to it and pointed to the Terrible Terror," Take him with you."

He cocked his head in confusion," Um, what?"

She sighed tiredly," He's nice and everything, but he's much more trouble than he's worth. I can't keep him here."

"He's not going anywhere," he said shaking his head," I sent him here to help you-"

"I don't need your help," she retorted surprisingly fiercely.

"Maybe you don't think so right now," he amended," but you have no idea what's going on right now. You could be in serious danger, and I would feel better knowing I at least did this."

"Why would I be in danger?" she asked confused.

He hesitated before turning completely serious, " Before that can you tell me who is in charge of this place?"

She hesitated and stood her ground," Why?"

"Because," he said," my village received some rather pressing news and I need to know if it's true or not."

"What news would that be?"

It involves the dragons and an upcoming war," he said bluntly.

Her eyes widened in surprise shock and she stepped back a little," But what would that have to do with who's in charge here?"

Nothing," he said," if that person isn't responsible for anything."

She glared at him stubbornly," We have nothing to do with this!"

"I'm not saying you are," he answered calmly trying to make himself as harmless as possible," It's just that the person who gave us the information gave me directions and I ended up here."

She stayed silent and he continued," If you could just tell me the name of who's in charge then I'll be on my way."

She frowned but then asked," Who are you looking for then?"

"A guy by the name Drago Bludvist," he said.

She took a frightened step back and shook her head slightly disbelieving. he was worried she was going to pass out and reached forward to steady her," Hey, what's wrong? What did I say?"

She shook her head slightly and took a shaky breath before whispering," He's my father..."

Hiccups eyes widened and he stared at her praying to the gods above that he hadn't heard her correctly.

* * *

 ** _Uh oh...things are getting interesting, huh?;)_**


	5. Chapter 4

_**Hey you guys! I'm back, and I's sorry about the little cliffhanger there, but I hope you forgive me because there story is really moving forward now;) Enjoy and don't forget to review please!**_

* * *

Hiccup stared at her and Toothless made a sound of alarm when he finally found his voice he choked out," Your father?"

She nodded shakily and he exclaimed incredulously in disbelief," So you _knew_ about this?"

She looked at him in shock and shook her head furiously," No! Of course not!"

"How could you not know about any of this?!" he exclaimed hysterically while Toothless crooned questioningly," He's your father!"

"I stay at home most of the time!" she cried and tried to explain," He doesn't let me go outside much, if at all!"

He stopped and looked at her for a moment and asked confused,"Why not?"

She looked down and shrugged" I don't know...my place is at home...learning to be a wife. I have no place outside."

"Then why is it that everytime I come here," he asked suspiciously," you're outside?"

"Father is away right now," she said trailing off," He left a few days ago, and the staff has encouraged me to go outside for a change... "

He frowned,"For a change?"

"I already said I don't go outside," she said with a tired expression before it softened and she trailed off," I stay at home and cook, clean, and sew mostly..."

He was silent probably trying to process everything that was going on. He then dared to ask," If he's your father...why would he do that to you?"

"He means well," she said defensively, but then caught herself most likely knowing that defending him was probably not a good idea right now.

"I'm sure," he remarked dryly.

"He does!" she exclaimed defensively," He's a wonderful father, and he's done what he had to for the good of-"

"For the good of who?" he exclaimed incredulously,"He raised you isolated from everything and anything that didn't agree with what he wanted for himself. He's not a good person...bad people can do good things with bad intentions, and right now he's the person I have a village to protect from."

"Then why are you here?" she said glaring at him," Go back to your stupid village and do whatever you want!"

"I tried to stay there, but I'm here because I had to do something to stop your... _father_...and reason with him!" he exclaimed," Do you know how hard it was to sneak away from my parents undetected long enough to get here?!"

"No I don't know," she retorted bitterly," because I've never been able to do anything in my life."

He softened and ran a hand through his hair," I'm...I'm sorry...You had nothing to do with this, but do you think if I tried to reason with him he would listen?"

She hesitated before shaking her head," If what you're saying is true... Father isn't the type to negotiate. It's take it or leave it, and once you leave it that's it. There's no going back , and you will pay the consequences..." She shuddered," Take it from someone who speaks from experience..."

He frowned," What did he do?"

He didn't know that as she shook her head she was trying to erase the bad memories from her childhood of isolation, slaps, kicks, and bitingly scaring insults that would forever be engrained in her memory," It's not important, but I'm fine now, and you should go home and do your best with what you have."

"That's what everyone's been telling me," he muttered," But why wouldn't he understand? The dragons are good and they are on our side, why would he use them like that? What does he want?"

Astrid was thinking back to everytime Father had gotten a new shipment of dragons, or had to hire new trappers because the old ones had either failed or betrayed him, and every single time he had regarded her with a cold and dark glint in his eyes as he delivered the news. She didn't know what he wanted, but the fear she had always regarded since childhood as foolish, suddenly didn't seem so anymore," I don't know, but go home, and take Sneaky with you."

He was about to protest when he raised a questioning eyebrow," Sneaky?"

The little terror who had been annoying Toothless was at Astrid's side in a flash at the mention of his name, and Astrid blushed obviously embarrassed," Yeah, I thought the name suited him..."

Even in such a serious and dark moment Hiccup was surprised he would still laugh," Yeah, I guess it does... How did you even get him to do that? He was only supposed to keep an eye out for you, not bond with you!"

"Bond?" she asked confused and Hiccup was taken aback," You mean you didn't even know?"

She shook her head, and he laughed once more," Well, I'll be... That's...that's incredible..."

She blushed once more and tried to change the subject," So are you leaving?"

He nodded taking pity on her and allowed her to change it. He was about to turn to leave when he turned around with a mysterious gleam in his eye and asked," You said you'd never been anywhere...right?"

She nodded not knowing where he was going with this, and he continued ," How would you like to do something crazy?"

"You mean stupid!" she exclaimed obviously horrified at his outstretched arm.

He shook his head good naturedly," No, I'm pretty sure I already did that..."

She glared at him and he couldn't help but notice how lovely she looked in a fierce almost warrior like way," If I get caught-"

"You won't," he reassured her," Come on!"

She hesitated and regarded Toothless warily before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. This could be the very first and last time she did anything," Okay."

He beamed and helped her up," Great, let's go!"

* * *

No sooner had she been placed on the saddle that the sheer terror hit her, and she couldn't help but cling to Hiccup as they flew higher and higher at lightning speed. Hiccup winced slightly, but said nothing and she shut her eyes and hoped it ended soon, already regretting her decision.

She wasn't used to the speed or the air or the rush flying caused, and she didn't know if she was terrified or excited. She clung tighter the higher they went until their speed slowed down until finally, at long last, they reached a steady pace where her stomach wasn't churning.

She refused to open her eyes to check what was going on, until Hiccup chuckled gently and said," Open your eyes, Astrid."

She hesitated before taking a deep breath and doing so. The minute she did she couldn't help gasping in utter wonder at the scene around her. They were way above the clouds which seemed to go on for miles and of the softest cotton. She couldn't help reaching up to touch them, and was surprised to feel the slight chill cloud left behind along with a bit of moisture.

She let herself fall back into it and a happy smile appeared on her face as she let herself relax. The initial terror went away and was replaced by a content calm, and as they emerged from the clouds and flew over the sea she couldn't help. She already knew that Hiccup was right about everything, and while she may not have known much about either Hiccup and Toothless even she had to admit that everything around her seemed to go against everything she'd been raised on, but for some reason it wasn't a bad thing. She sighed and said," Alright, I'll admit it, this is pretty cool... It's...amazing...he's amazing..."

She reached out and pet Toothless softly who crooned happily and Hiccup laughed," Yeah, it is pretty amazing. I love it up here, and there are days when I don't want to ever go back down."

"I could see that," she agreed but then frowned," but what happens now?"

His happy demeanor vanished instantly and he didn't say anything and she pressed," Hiccup, whatever my father's doing...what happens to you and Toothless? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know..." he said tiredly.

She bit her lip and frowned," You're no match for him...he's relentless and if he really does have a dragon army..."

"Don't remind me, Astrid," he said frowning.

She was about to say more when Toothless suddenly turned and Hiccup lost control. He flew over the sea until they neared a bunch of icebergs and at least 50 ships.

Toothless was acting very odd and Hiccup tried to get away from the ship, but he couldn't. Toothless seemed to be drawn to the sight in an almost hypnotized state and they could only hope there wouldn't be any trouble.

Astrid couldn't push the feeling of cold dread and fear away, and she hoped this wasn't what she thought it was. She leaned forward and said," Hiccup, we need to get out of here...now. I don't feel too good about this."

He nodded and looked at her," I'm trying but-"

Suddenly a net shot towards them and threatened to send them crashing down, but Toothless seemed to have snapped out of it long enough to dodge. That wasn't the end of it because arrows and more nets were shot, and Hiccup tried his best to dodge.

A young man on one of the boats gave orders,"Get 'em, lads! Don't think Drago has one of those!"

Astrid gasped and Hiccup steeled himself and addressed Toothless," Come on, bud, we have to get out of here. Now!"

Toothless seemed to be fighting against something but listened to Hiccup and tried to fly as fast as he could out of there and he succeeded, but not before the commotion alerted everyone below them. Namely one person in particular and Astrid couldn't help the shiver of terror that ran down her spine at the murderous glare she received that foretold nothing good was going to come when she reached home.

* * *

They flew and flew until they were far enough away and then they landed. Hiccup got off and checked to see if Toothless was hurt. He noticed that Astrid hadn't moved an inch and he reached out in concern," Hey, Astrid, what's wrong?"

He became very concerned when he saw that the color was completely drained from her face, and she was shaking," Astrid?!"

"I'm a dead," she murmured," I'm so dead...He's going to kill me!"

"Who is?" he asked startled.

She gave him a terrified expression," Father..."

"Why?" he demanded," Why would he do anything?"

"He saw me!" she snapped," He was there, and he saw me! What am I going to do?!"

He reached out and helped her down," Hey, come on, I'm sure he won't do anything. He can't. You're his daughter and you-"

"You don't understand," she murmured almost helplessly,"I'm not his real daughter, he warned me and I didn't listen and now he won't hold back and he-"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused," What are you talking about? You said he was your father-"

"He took me in when my parents gave me up," she exclaimed tiredly," they didn't want me, and yet he was kind enough to raise me as his own. I should have been grateful to him, and instead I disobeyed him by not staying home and doing my chores, I befriended you, I befriend dragons, and I betrayed him! When he comes back, he won't be lenient, and I don't know what he'll do to me... He'll-"

"He won't do anything to you, Astrid," he reassured her cutting her off," I won't let him."

"What can you do?" she demanded nearly hysterical," He already saw me, and the minute I go home, it'll only be a matter of time before he finds me and he-"

"You're coming with us," he said cutting her off firmly.

"What?" she blinked," With you...but-"

"You can't go back there, and it was my fault you got into this mess in the first place," he said apologetically," If I had listened to you-"

This time she cut him off," Don't... I don't think I can go back with you..."

"Why not?" he asked and Toothless nudged her.

She pet his head and said dejectedly," What'll happen to your village when Father finds out I'm there? You can't risk your people for some girl you barely know, especially right now."

"I can't leave you, Astrid," he said fiercely," You can come back with me and Toothless, and you won't have to ever go back to Drago. You'll be free to do as you please and we'll deal with him when we come to it. Okay?"

She didn't look convinced but closed her eyes and sighed," Okay..."

And with that they climbed on Toothless and made their way to Berk while elsewhere Drago was fuming enraged that everything he'd planned was slowing falling to pieces right before his eyes all because he wouldn't control one measly girl.

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 ** _So...I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to review!_**


	6. Chapter 5

**_Hey you guys! Sorry for the long wait! I was just trying to get some chapters written in order to focus on the last few. I've also been swamped with homework, and AP exams, the SATs, and finals that are coming up. Wish me luck... and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to review!_**

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As they flew Hiccup noticed that Astrid was really quiet and he felt horrible. When he'd snuck out of Berk to find Drago he'd come expecting to negotiate peace. Instead, he messed everything up and now had no hope to avoid war and keep the peace. He desperately needed to talk with his dad, and even that caused a whole new round of guilt as he thought of how Astrid must feel.

Astrid had just lost everything she had ever known in a few hours. Drago was her father, whether he was a good one, or even a good person, was another matter entirely. He was her father, and she had basically been disowned. He said basically because he knew that if she ever went back she wouldn't make it.

That was hard to take in for anyone, and he was a bit worried that she hadn't broken yet. She was either really strong or on the verge of breaking at any moment. To leave everyone and everything behind was unthinkable to him, but then he realized something and asked gently," Hey, Astrid, do you want to stop by your house for some things or-"

"No," she said her voice cracking a bit and he felt her wince," If I go back, everyone will be there waiting for me, and then I'll be stuck there. I can't risk that."

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly and was about to say something when she broke down in tears and he didn't know what to do. His heart broke for her and he hugged her gently while he rode on. He didn't know if he was helping but he had no clue of what to say or do to make anything better.

He only hoped that they reached Berk soon, and they could figure out where to go from there.

...

Astrid had tried to compose herself, to steel herself and feel no emotions, but she couldn't help thinking back to the cold and chilling glare Father had sent her way when he saw her. Her life basically flashed before her eyes and the thought terrorized he. Hiccup's kind simple thoughtfulness was enough to send her into tears.

She'd done everything she could think of in order to make Father proud. She'd done her chores. She cooked, she cleaned, she sewed. She spent time perfecting her appearance in the hopes of ensuring she married well. She tried to stay quiet, she tried to stay calm and serene and reserved, but it was never enough.

No matter how hard she tried she could never do it. She could never live within her place, and everyone knew it. Father had warned her of what would happen if she didn't try harder, and she did her best to do so.

All her best efforts were now for nothing because the minute he had seen her it was over. She had betrayed him in the worst way imaginable, and the wrath he normally reserved for staff or villagers or outsiders was now sure to be unleashed upon her the first chance he got.

She remembered the warnings she'd received as a child. The lashings, the insults, the isolations, but she'd endured them. Not only because she tended to receive them for disobeying or embarrassing him, but because she knew that as harsh as he was on her...it didn't compare to how cruel he could be if he decided she wasn't worth his sympathy.

He was Drago Bludvist, and she knew that everyone feared him, and she was not naive enough to think it wasn't deserved. For as long as she could remember he had told her of how as a child, his own village was attacked by dragons and his family was killed. He lost his left arm in the attack and constantly lived in fear of another assault by the creatures. Despite everything that had happened to him, he vowed to rise above his fear and conquer the beasts that had hurt him.

He had told her that he was protecting everyone from the dragons who had hurt him and his family, but who would not hurt him or his family again. He had told her that that was why he had taken her in. He would not leave her at the mercy of the horrible beasts and that the only way to ensure her safety would be to listen to him and stay inside. That it was for the better as her future was not meant to be outside anyways, and she had believed him.

She had believed everything he had told her because who else was she supposed to believe. Everyone around her walked on eggshells around him and, to an extent, around her as well. No one had told her the truth, and now all that was left were the lies she'd been served on a silver platter.

She was nobody in this world but a pathetic orphan tricked and abandoned by a bloodthirsty barbarian intent on declaring a war using the very dragons he had warned her against her entire life. The fact that she hadn't even known despite calling him Father for 20 years nearly broke her.

She tried to push everything from her mind if not for her own sake, but for Hiccup and Toothless' who were at a loss of what to do with her.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," she managed to choke out.

"Don't apologize, Astrid," he said comfortingly.

"I'm fine now," she said trying to control her breathing and dry her tears, but he only hugged her from behind and said," Don't worry about it... After what you've been through, I'm surprised you're doing so well."

She wanted to cry all over again at his kind words and understanding, but accepted already having made a big enough fool of herself and managed to compose herself as she noticed an island coming into view and she asked," Is that-"

" Yeah, we're almost there," he said.

They landed and she got down easy enough. Hiccup and Toothless lead her over to an opening where she assumed they had snuck out through and she couldn't help raising a questioning eyebrow to which he asked," What?"

She just shook her head and followed him. The minute they entered and were in the view of people she noticed how they immediately greeted Hiccup cheerfully and Astrid was once again hit with just how much Father had lied to her. The village was far from what he had told her. He had told her that all Vikings were cruel barbaric and selfish and eager to take down anything and everything standing in there way. She realized after a moment or so that he had been describing himself.

She was brought out of her thoughts when a man with one hand and leg asked Hiccup in a heavily accented voice and a prosthetic for each that was missing," And who is this now?"

She turned to Hiccup and he answered meaningfully at the man," This is Astrid."

The man smiled good naturedly if not a bit teasingly," Ah, of course, well, lass, welcome to Berk!"

She managed to smile back," Thank you..."

Hiccup shook his head tiredly at the man and said," Astrid, this is Gobber, he's the dragon dentist and doctor."

"Really?" Astrid asked impressed that they would go so far for their dragons.

Gobber nodded," Aye, lass, have been for a while now."

"Why?" she asked," What made you do it?"

He smiled good naturedly and motioned towards Hiccup," Well, I used to be a blacksmith, but after this one had to go and slay the Red Death, I was left with very little to do. It took a while, but now here I am, and I'm mighty happy with how things turned out."

"The Red Death?" she asked once more confused.

Gobber frowned and instead said," Don't tell me you never heard of it...

When she shook her head he explained," That dragon was responsible for all the raids 5 years ago. It would control the dragons and force them to bring it food or become food themselves. We didn't know this, and for 300 years we'd been at war with the dragons until this lad came around, and changed Berk for the better."

Astrid silently took all of that in and looked at Hiccup incredulously and asked hesitantly," Is that how you lost your...leg?"

He nodded solemnly," Yes, but it was a small price to pay for keeping this guy around for good. I mean look at all of this," he said gesturing to everyone inside with their dragons and having a good time," _This_ makes everything worth it."

" Exactly, lad, couldn't of put it better myself," Gobber said nodding before snapping out of it and giving Hiccup a meaningful glance," Now you have some serious explaining to do. Your parents are none too happy with you, and now with the lass here, you have even more explaining to do."

He sighed tiredly and said," I know, Gobber, but you'll never believe what happened today and well... let's just say things are not looking too good."

Gobber frowned and said," What are you talking about, Hiccup?"

He shook his head and said," Later, Gobber, right now I have to find Mom and Dad and figure out what we're going to do, and help Astrid, too."

"Is something wrong, lass?" Gobber asked in concern.

She hesitated," There is, but it's better if you hear the whole story...is he coming?"she asked Hiccup.

He nodded and said," Can you take us to my parents, Gobber?"

Gobber frowned slightly before nodding and leading the way," Last I checked they were waiting for you to come home all evening."

"Well, that's encouraging..." Hiccup groaned and turned to Toothless," We're so dead, bud..."

* * *

The closer the neared the chief's household, the more Hiccup started to become nervous. He felt 15 years old all over again and he couldn't help it. He didn't know how his parents would react back then, and he definitely didn't know how they would react now.

Toothless seemed to understand because as they reached the top of the hill, he subtly nudged him forward. He nodded and went inside motioning for Astrid and Gobber to follow them.

As soon as they were all inside his mom rushed forward and enveloped him an enormous hug," Oh, Hiccup, we were so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," he said sheepishly.

She pulled back," Don't you dare run off like that again, Son, especially not now when-"

"You deliberately disobeyed my orders, Son," his Dad thundered," You risked not only your life, but the lives of our people and you-"

"I had to do what I thought was right," he snapped," and I'm sorry if I couldn't stand staying here and doing nothing while we waited for him to attack!"

"So you went after Drago?!" Stoick cried in disbelief.

Hiccup nodded gravely," I did...and you were right, Dad...I'm sorry."

Stoick softened but his worry didn't vanish," What happened out there...and who is this?" he said gesturing to Astrid seeing her clearly for the first time.

"This is Astrid," he said motioning for Astrid to come forward who did so somewhat terrified,"Astrid these are my parents Valka and Stoick the Vast. He's the chief.

Astrid nodded in greeting and they returned it and Hiccup continued," I'd asked Trader Johann for directions as to where Drago had last been seen and I followed them. They lead me to where I'd crashed the other day..."

"The day you saw Astrid," Valka finished.

He nodded and continued," I didn't understand and decided to just ask her who was in charge of where she lived and...well...you can guess who it was..."

Stoick addressed Astrid suspiciously," Who was he to you, lass?"

Her eyes widened and he noticed her take a noticeable deep breath before saying," He was my father..."

Stoick glared at his son," Why would you bring her here! Thor Almighty, as if we needed any more reason for Drago to target us, you brought his daughter here to-"

"You don't understand, Dad," he exclaimed desperately," I had to bring her here! She can't go back there she-"

"She's his daughter," he said cutting him off," He's going to come looking for her and Gods help us, if he decides to take it out on us for your foolish mistake!"

Hiccup was about to snap back defensively when Astrid beat him to it and cried out nearly in tears again," But, Sir! I can't go back! Please don't make me! You don't know what he'll do to me now that-"

Stoick softened and motioned for her to take a seat at the table where Valka placed a comforting arm around her and said," Tell us why you can't go back, my dear."

She took a shaky breath and said," He's not my real father. He took me in when I was a baby. He told me that my parents gave me up and he took pity on me and raised me as his own. He'd always made it quite clear that he would not tolerate either embarrassment or betrayal. "

Valka smoothed her hair and said reassuringly," Sometimes fathers say things they don't mean, dear, of course he wouldn't do that to you."

She shook her head helplessly, "I was supposed to stay at home helping the servants do the housework and look pretty. That was it, but it was never enough... I would somehow always manage to slip up and especially when I was younger he would punish me through lashings, beatings, isolation, or anything else he could think of to break the wild streak I had that he said was the reason I had no offers."

Everyone in the room was silent and they all looked at each other with the same outraged disbelief as the other, but she continued and said hastily, "It had gotten better in the last 3 years. He was away on business a lot, and the only times I really saw him was at dinner where we would eat in silence mostly. It wasn't until Hiccup came along that things went wrong...

"I wasn't even supposed to be outside, but Hallberta, my hand maiden, encouraged me to enjoy myself, for once, and it was the day that I first saw Hiccup. He was an outsider with a dragon which to my father was unspeakable and I shouldn't have stayed but I was curious, and then he saw me and I ran. That was the day Father told me he had received a new shipment of dragons and he would be away for a month or so.

"The servants allowed me to spend the day by myself when he left and I went into the forest where the Terrible Terror Hiccup sent was waiting for me. A week passed and I waited for Hiccup to come back so that he could take the Terror with him because if Father had found out about it...

"He came back and refused to take him back and then he asked me about Father and it was the first time I realized what he had been doing this whole time, and I was terrified, but in denial. Hiccup was about to leave when he convince me to go on a flight with him, and it was going well until we happened upon what I assume to be my father's army base. We tried to get away but it was too late they tried to shoot us down and when they failed Father had already seen me and had witnessed my ultimate betrayal..." she finished trailing off her voice cracking.

Valka held the poor girl tight and looked at her husband pleadingly and he nodded and asked gently," And what would happen if you were to go back?"

She winced and thought back to the other people, dragon trappers mostly, who he'd found to be too soft hearted to be useful to him and she said," The same thing that happens to all traitors."

They understood what she couldn't bring herself to say and Hiccup hoped his parents would come to her defense and protect her from Drago. He didn't know what he'd do if they didn't.

Stoick nodded gravely and looked to Valka and Gobber who all nodded solemnly and he placed a comforting hand on Astrid's shoulder and said," Your father won't ever get his hands on you as long as you're on this island. I can promise you that."

She looked up at him in disbelief before a few stray tears of relief fell from her eyes and she breathed," Thank you, Sir!"

He smiled reassuringly and said," A chief protects his own, and as long as you're on my island, I will make sure no harm comes to you at the hands of that barbarian."

Valka nodded and said," For the time being you can stay with us, and we'll see about getting you settled tomorrow, alright?"

Astrid nodded gratefully and smiled a genuine smile for the first time and Valka immediately warmed up to her completely and walked over to the fire where dinner was ready and waiting to be served," I bet you're starved, dear. How does some dinner sound?"

"Amazing," she admitted and Valka beamed," Good and you can stay for dinner, too, Gobber."

"Don't mind if I do," he said comically and said conspiratorially," I heard you've finally improved your cooking skills, Val!"

Hiccup managed to laugh," It was about time, too! A person can only take so much..."

Stoick laughed heartily," Let's just eat before Val decides to take it out on all of you..."

Astrid looked around as Valka served her food and how everyone was laughing and chatting amiably and wondered not for the first time just how much she had missed out on at the hands of Drago...

* * *

 ** _Hope you liked it, sorry it was more of a filler for the next chapter! It's going to get better though! Trust me! Don't forget to review!_**


	7. Chapter 6

_**Sorry I haven't updated in so long. With Ap exams, SATs, finals, and the many other wonders that come with high school I haven't been able to. I'm finally done and I'm officially on Summer vacation! Yay!**_  
 _ **It might still take a while for me to get back into writing, so you should probably expect rather sporadic updates for a while. I hope this chapter being longer than usual make up for it, though! Enjoy and don't forget to fav, follow, and review!**_

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Astrid finished her meal and insisted she help Valka clean up. The kind woman politely declined, but Astrid still felt guilty and eventually she relented and together they tiedied up.

While the men were discussing things by the fire, most likely about Drago and what they'd seen, Valka went out of her way to talk to her," How old are you, dear?"

"20," Astrid said quietly.

Valka smiled," Same as Hiccup then, and do you know where you came from before Drago took you in?"

Astrid nodded," Father said he took me in during a dragon raid on a nearby island. I'd been left outside in all the chaos, and when he found my parents they gave me to him."

"Do you know the name of the island?" Valka pressed, but still tried her best not to pry.

Astrid did her best to remember the name of the island and said," Something like Be...Bur..."

"Berk?" Valka asked with a gasp.

Astrid nodded confused," Yes! But...do you know where that is?"

Vlaka let out a startled laugh," Astrid, you're actually on Berk right now...you didn't know?"

Astrid's eyes widened," No, Hiccup didn't say the name of the island, but then does that mean...?"

...

Vlaka looked at her for a moment before realization dawned on her and she studied her blue eyes, long wavy blonde hair, and pale skin. A baby taken away from Berk 20 years ago by a cruel barbarian... she didn't know why she hadn't put it together before.

She quickly set what they were doing down and sat her down," Astrid tell me exactly what your father told you about your parents." Astrid looked even more confused and she felt sorry for the lass, but if she was right about this everything would add up perfectly.

She took a deep breath and said," Well, he said that almost 20 years ago he was caught in the middle of a dragon raid on Berk. He heard a baby crying and he noticed a couple leaving the baby at the mercy of the dragons. He took pity on me and demanded to know why the couple had abandoned me, and they said they didn't want me anymore and said that if he really cared that much he could have me.

"He took me in, and left me to be raised by the servants, and when I got old enough to understand he would tell me the story over and over again, mostly on days when I misbehaved."

Valka nodded slowly and the frowned," Well, dear, I can be the first one to tell that nothing like that ever happened- that we know of."

Astrid blinked absolutely confused," But, what do you mean?"

"There was no couple who gave a baby 20 years ago to a man who took pity on it," she explained calmly.

"But then what happened to me?" Astrid asked.

"Listen, dear, there wasn't a couple like that," she said," But there _was_ a couple who had their baby taken away from them by force during a dragon raid _caused_ by Drago Bludvist as revenge on the Chief of Berk."

"What did she look like?" Astrid asked trying to make sense of everything.

Valka smiled," The baby was a pretty little thing with blonde curls, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks."

Astrid gasped," Was the baby...do you think that was...?"

"You?" Valka asked," I think it was, and you can't believe how much your parents have suffered for 20 years. They have been heartbroken ever since..."

"But Father said..." Astrid's voice trailed off in heartbroken disbelief and she looked up at her with the look of one whose entire life had been an absolute lie," It doesn't matter what he said, does it?"

Valka shook her head," He lied to you your entire life, lass, but I'm sorry."

Astrid nodded obviously fighting back tears but with the strength of a warrior, that Valka didn't think was possible in such a sheltered girl, she steeled herself and got back up to finish cleaning up.

Valka followed her example but couldn't help but ask," So what are you going to do about everything?"

She didn't think Astrid was going to answer for a moment until she murmured," I don't know..."

"Why not?" Valka asked," Don't you want to meet your parents?"

Astrid shook her head distraught," I don't know...I know know what I want, what I'm going to do, where I'm going, who they are, and I don't even know if they would still want me..."

"Of course they want you, dear," Valka exclaimed," They're your parents! They love you, and they did everything they could to fight for you."

"I know," she said quietly," but that doesn't change the fact that I don't know who they are, their lives, and they don't know me or what my life has been. The life I've lead is so different from the life I would've lead here, and I may not be the daughter they would want."

"You know that not true!" Valka insisted," You are their flesh and blood, and any parent would be proud to have you for a daughter knowing everything you went through and everything you've done to become who you are today. "

"The thing is," she said, " I don't know who I am anymore. The person I was raised to be, was a lie, and everything I knew and everything I did was wrong, and now I'm left to pick up the pieces and work with what's left... How can they want a broken person?"

Valka was quiet and Astrid looked apologetic," I'm sorry...you've been so kind to me, and you're only trying to help..."

"It's understandable, dear," Valka said gently.

Astrid looked at her for a moment before letting out a shaky, but genuine, laugh and said," You're a lot like Hiccup..."

Valka laughed and nodded affectionately," Aye, that boy takes after me alright...but don't let that fool you... He's every bit as boar headed and stubborn as his father."

Astrid laughed heartily at that and then hesitantly asked," What are my parents like... and what do they look like?"

Valka smiled and said," You look just like your mother, you have the same face and eyes. You have your father's hair, though, and are as strong and brave as all the Hoffersons before you."

"The Hofferson's?" she asked," What are my parent's names?"

"Your father's name is Ingvar and your mother's name is Asdis," she said," They named you Astrid a few weeks before you were taken."

"Ingvar and Asdid," she said more to herself than to Valka before shaking her head and saying," Thank you, Valka."

Valka only smiled and resolved to do her best, along with her son, to ensure Astrid got the life she deserved amidst all the chaos caused by Drago Bludvist.

...

Hiccup watched as Valka spoke with Astrid and was a bit worried about Astrid's reaction, and he wanted to know just what his mom was telling her. Soon enough, though, they stopped and Valka showed Astrid to the spare room used for important visiting guests.

She looked exhausted, and he was grateful his mom was taking care of her. He didn't know what to do, and was grateful his parents were helping. As soon as his mom returned, she walked over to them with a solemn expression that worried him," What's wrong?"

She ignored him and instead looked at his dad and Gobber and said," You saw her right?"

To his confusion they nodded solemnly and Dad said," She looks just like Asdis, and it all adds up, but what did she tell you."

"She said that Drago told her that her parents gave her away during a dragon raid because they didn't want her and he took pity on her and raised her as his own," she practically spat out which was out of character for his usually calm and reserved mom," He neglected to tell her that _he_ was the one who started the dragon raid and stole her from her poor parents threatening to unleash his dragons on the entire island if they didn't."

"The bastard," Gobber said scowling," And the poor lass had to endure him for 20 years!"

His dad nodded and turned to him," You did well finding her, Son, her parents haven't been the same since she was taken..."

Hiccup frowned," What are you all talking about? Her parent's?!"

Mom nodded," Yes, Son, Astrid is Ingvar and Asdis Hofferson's daughter who was taken 20 years ago during a dragon raid by Drago."

He thought back to the sad couple he'd often see in the village who mostly kept to themselves ever since he could remember," Astrid is from Berk?"

They nodded and he tried to take it all in, and Gobber finally stood up and got ready to leave," Well, I hope the lass is okay because tomorrow is sure to be an interesting day for all of us."

They nodded and he was off leaving him with his parents who looked tired out themselves. He looked at them pleadingly," What are we going to do?"

Valka sighed tiredly," Astrid might not be ready to meet her parents yet, but with all the damage that man has caused her, it's no wonder."

"We'll have to have her meet them eventually," Stoick said," they're her parents, and they should know better than anyone what to do for her."

Valka nodded and said," You're right," Valka said nodding and then said," but, Gobber's right, tomorrow is going to be an interesting day for all of us, and we better get some rest."

They nodded and headed to their rooms for bed and tried to resolve themselves to face tomorrow.

...

Astrid woke up thoroughly confused for a moment or so until she remembered the other day's events and she sat back down taking it all in. The room itself, was close to what her room back home was like. It wasn't too spacious, but wasn't small either compared to what was normal. The decor was kept simple, mostly consisting of a few weapons hanging on the walls.

She was about to get out of the huge bed when a familiar little dragon appeared in front of her and she laughed completely amazed at the Terror," How did you get here?"

He just stared blankly at her, and she got up laughing. There was a mirror in one corner of the room and she studied her dress ruefully. Yesterday's flight and an entire night of sleep did not help her dress. It was now wrinkled and her hair was a mess, as usual. She did her best to make herself presentable when a soft knock came and she said," Come in!"

Valka stepped inside and gave her a warm smile," Good morning, lass, how'd you sleep?"

Astrid smiled back and said," Very well, thank you."

She beamed and then handed her a small bundle," I thought you would appreciate these."

Astrid walked over and saw a red wool shirt, blue wool leggings, fur lined boots, armbands, and hood, spiked shoulder armor, and a fur and leather spiked skirt. There was also a hair brush, wash cloth, and leather hair ties. There was so much that Astrid shook head," I couldn't...you went too so much trouble already-"

"No trouble at all, dear," Valka said waving her off ," Now if you want I can help you get ready. You have a big day ahead of you."

Astrid hesitated before relenting and nodding. She got the shirt and leggings on by the time Valka returned with some water in a bowl to wash her face in. She washed her face and then allowed Valka to brush her unruly mess of hair.

Valka lifted a loose curl before turning to her and asking," Are you going to leave it down?"

Astrid contemplated it for a second," I don't know, why?"

"It's not very practical here on Berk," Valka explained," You might want to braid it like the other women and girls."

Astrid frowned apologetically," I don't really know how to braid..."

Valka smiled comfortingly and offered," I can do it for you, if you like?"

Astrid nodded gratefully," Of course!"

And Valka set to work braiding her hair. She noticed that Valka, herself, had her hair arranged into lots of braids. She did hers in one small braid braided into another side braid which successfully got all of her hair out of her way and looked pretty good. She had kept her kransen in place and she smiled happily at Valka when she was done and said," Thank you."

Valka simply waved her off and motioned for her to finish getting ready. Once done they headed outside the room and downstairs into the kitchen where Valka had already started on breakfast.

She noticed that it was just them alone and she asked confused," Where's Hiccup and your husband?"

"Oh, Hiccup is probably on his morning flight with Toothless or making sure the dragons get their own breakfast. Stoick is probably already out in the village dealing with some problem or other chief duty."

She nodded and then helped Valka and they sat down to enjoy their breakfast as they waited for Hiccup and Stoick to join them.

They were enjoying leftovers from last night's stew and Valka asked Astrid," So, dear, what can you do?"

"Do?" Astrid asked confused.

She nodded," Yes, I'm afraid we don't know much about you to know what you could do here on Berk."

Astrid nodded understanding and said after a moment of thinking sheepishly," I can cook, clean, and sew pretty well. I also know how to treat the sick and injured."

Valka seemed pretty interested in that," Really, how so?"

Astrid thought back to the various dragon injuries and casualties, and the many prisoners Father had her tend to and she shuddered," Father...he was never one to be careful when it came down to it, especially not with his men... or enemies..."

Valka nodded and then said thoughtfully," Maybe you could work with Gothi and help her around Berk...she's not as young as she used to be and would appreciate the help, I'm sure."

Astrid smiled and nodded happily," I'd like that."

Valka smiled back and said," It's settled then."

Just then Hiccup and Stoick came in and Stoick asked," What's settled, dear?"

"Astrid is going to work under Gothi," she said smiling," I think it's a good idea, don't you?"

Stoick raised an eyebrow but only said," It is, we'll go as soon as possible."

Hiccup grinned and looked Astrid amazed," You know how to heal?"

Astrid nodded sheepishly," Yeah, I don't know everything, but I would help tend to the sick and injured back home."

He frowned," Was that often?"

She bit her lip and turned away from Stoick and Hiccup's concerned stares," I suppose...I never really..."

Stoick saved her and shook his head gently," It's alright, lass, we understand."

She nodded thankfully and forced a smile to her face," What happens today?"

"You're going to look around the village and meet everyone," Stoick said and then nodded at Valka," We'll go to Gothi and then..."

"Then?" she pressed.

Stoick sighed," We could go and see your...parents..."

Astrid gasped and blinked," My parents?"

Hiccup answered gently," Only if you want...but they are your parents, Astrid."

She nodded sadly but said," It's not that I don't want to...it's just..."

Valka put a comforting hand on her shoulder," It's alright...you don't have to decide now."

She nodded thankfully and they returned to their breakfast.

...

Hiccup watched amused as Astrid seemed to take everything in around the village. She took it all in as though this were the first time among so many people and things and...and then he realized that apart for a brief moment yesterday...it probably was.

Toothless nudged him and made a sad noise and he nodded," I know, bud, I know..."

Toothless then took to following close behind Astrid, almost protectively, and while startled she just smiled and pet him as they made their way through the village. Everyone had obviously been talking about her, due to those who had seen her yesterday, and were now all curious about who she was and what she was doing here on Berk.

His Mom was a lifesaver and laughed everyone off and simply introduced her. She didn't give anything away about Astrid but everyone was nonetheless intrigued by her. She met most everyone, and everyone was as friendly and welcoming, as physically possible for Vikings.

Astrid was handling everything surprisingly well, and Berk seemed to love her already. It was as though she really was meant to live on Berk her whole life. This only made him upset towards Drago and he had to take a moment to calm himself down.

It was then that he saw Asdis and Ingvar Hofferson surprisingly among the crowd, and he panicked. They stared at Astrid intently and he could've sworn he'd seen tears welling up in Asdis' eyes as she clung to her husband. He seemed frozen in place and his face was very pale. He tore his eyes away from Astrid only to lock eyes with Hiccup and his usually sad and broken expression was replaced with sheer questioning look mixed with unspoken determination.

He didn't know what to say but simply motioned to his Dad and hoped he understood his unspoken plea of 'later'. Thankfully he did, and he dragged Asdis away rather reluctantly and they disappeared among the crowd.

Astrid was oblivious to all of this and he let out a small sigh of relief. Once the crowd dispersed a bit they made their way towards Gothi, and knocked on the door of her hut. She ushered them inside and then looked at Astrid questioningly. She wrote some things on the dirt floor of her hut, and he could somewhat get the idea of what she was trying to say and he explained," This is Astrid, she arrived just yesterday."

She nodded and then wrote something else and looked at them expectantly and maybe a little impatient and Hiccup then explained somewhat sheepishly," We were wondering if she could work under you..."

She turned to Astrid and she spoke up for herself,"I used to handle a lot of the injuries and ill back home. I don't know everything, but I know enough, and I'm sure I could learn and-"

She was cut off by Gothi dragging her to where she tended to the injured and to their surprise his uncle Spitelout and his cousin Snotlout were there. Snotlout was clutching his upper arm in pain but he stopped when he saw them approach and he said," Hey...Hiccup...what are you guys doing here?"

He chuckled and raised a questioning eyebrow," What we want to know, is what you're doing here?"

"Aye," Dad said turning to his uncle amused," What did your boy do now, Spitelout?"

Before his cousin could reply and probably make something up, his uncle replied in a tired tone," He went and got in between a swarm of Terrors, and...well he didn't end up too well..."

Gothi snorted as if to say,' You got that right,' but his mom just smiled amused but sympathetic," You'll live."

Snotlout probably would if he was well enough to reply," Yeah...thanks."

Gothi got Astrid's attention and dragged her over to the supplies and motioned her forward. Astrid was smart enough to realize what she was silently asking her to do, and expertly picked out a few things and Gothi nodded her approval.

They walked back and went over to Snotlout where Gothi once again left Astrid to do her thing. This was good except Snotlout made the mistake of not being able to resist being his charming self and said," Hey, babe, how's it going?"

Astrid subtly rolled her eyes and got to work. She cut the cloth into strips, got some salve out, and brought a bowl over to the cauldron of warm water in the fireplace.

Snotlout refused to give up and continued,"The names Snotlout. Haven't seen you around here...where you from?"

Astrid ignored Snotlout and looked at him with a questioning look and he could only offer an apologetic one in return.

"You know if you want I could show you around...how about it?" Snotlout said.

To his shock Astrid smiled sweetly and looked up at him through her lashes and said," Really?"

Snotlout nodded eagerly and confidently with a smirk," Of course, babe!"

She batted her blue eyes and then said," I don't think so." And before he could continue, she promptly shut him up by cleaning his wounds with a few of the water soaked strips of cloth.

...

Snotlout howled in pain and she barely flinched. She was used to these types of reactions, the men back home were all the same. They carried themselves like they could take anything, but once faced with the consequences, they were like children once more.

She cleaned the wounds first with warm water because it was obvious they hadn't been yet, and once that was done she could see how bad it was. They were relatively small and nothing to worry about. Snotlout was overreacting and she couldn't help but roll her eyes and she noticed Gothi did too, which made her smile a bit. She quickly applied the salve which Snotlout seemed to appreciate and then wrapped them with the remaining dry strips of cloth.

Once done she stepped back and Gothi appraised her work before nodding her approval towards Stoick and Valka which caused a smiled to appear on her own face.

Gothi wrote some more of the strange things in the dirt and Valka beamed at her," You did it, dear!"

"I did?" she asked incredulously.

Gothi smiled softly at her and she felt the urge to hug the old woman. Gothi wrote a few more things and then shooed them all out, Snotlout and Spitelout included and Stoick chuckled," Alright, we get it, Gothi, she'll be here tomorrow."

Gothi nodded and waved them off. Once outside Valka brought me in for a hug and said," Oh, you did it, dear!"

I nodded happily yet in disbelief," I did!"

Spitelout then spoke up in a suspicious tone," And you are?"

Stoick intervened and put a comforting hand on her shoulder," This is Astrid, she'll be staying on Berk from now on."

"Huh," was all he said and then smiled," Well, welcome then!"

Astrid nodded uncertain and caught Hiccup's eye," Thank you."

Spitelout seemed to be just like his son and didn't catch on and proceeded to tell her all about the Jorgenson family. Snotlout would occasionally speak up but mostly sent her flirtatious smirks.

She inwardly shuddered and found that her annoyance with him was becoming bigger. She'd never felt like this and it confused her. She had been raised to be calm and quiet and cheerful, and one full day on Berk, and one very annoying person later, and she was ready to explode.

It must have showed on her face because Valka soon spoke up and said," Well, I think it's time we help Astrid get settled!"

Hiccup nodded enthusiastically," I completely agree, Mom!"

Valka looked apologetic," We really should be going..."

Spitelout shook his head good naturedly," Of course, another time then?"

Astrid nodded a bit reluctantly," Sure..."

Snotlout placed an arm around her," Well, just remember, babe, if you need anything..."

"She knows where to come," Hiccup interrupted dryly leading Astrid away from his cousin and she was completely thankful for that. She couldn't help but notice the edge to his voice as he had said that, but pushed it aside as he lead her away.

...

Hiccup was really getting annoyed and if he was being honest with himself, a little jealous of Snotlout. He knew he shouldn't have, but just seeing Snotlout attempt to flirt with Astrid made his temper flare, and he couldn't help himself.

He tried to ignore his dad's surprise and his mom's knowing smile. He thought back to Asdis and Ingvar Hofferson and he knew that he had to talk to Astrid. Her parents were already suspicious and probably already knew the truth, but Astrid had to be the one to decide what she wanted.

He looked at his mom meaningfully and she immediately understood and said," Well, dear, I know you and your father have a lot to do today, so why don't I take Astrid here to get a few things while you're at it?"

He smiled gratefully and nodded," That would be great, Mom!"

Stoick smiled and said," We'll be back soon."

Hiccup turned to Astrid and said," Get whatever you need, okay?"

She hesitated but must have seen his parents serious faces that left no room for her to argue nodded," Okay, and thank you."

She nodded and he went with his dad off to see the Hoffersons. They headed straight to their house, and weren't surprised when they opened the door immediately. He felt guilty when he saw Asdis and Ingvar's faces fall when they only saw them. Ingvar cleared his throat and said," Yes?"

Dad cleared his throat," We have some things to discuss with you and your wife."

Asdis nodded and let them in," Of course, Chief, come in."

They did and the Hoffersons motioned for them to take a seat at the dinner table. Asdis looked at her husband who cleared his throat and got straight to the point," Is she...is the lass...?"

Hiccup looked at his dad who sighed and said," As far as we know...yes."

Asdid broke down into tears and she clung to her husband who had a few tears in his eyes as well but he turned to his dad and said," So when can we see her?"

Hiccup sighed and said," We don't know..."

Asdis looked up and demanded," What do you mean you don't know! She's our daughter! When can we see her?!"

His dad spoke up," It's more complicated than that..."

Ingvar tried to calm down his wife and while his face was clouded with grief once more, he nodded and motioned for them to continue," How so?"

"Astrid," Hiccup began," doesn't exactly know that you know about her yet. She knows you're here on Berk, and she knows about what happened, but because she spent so long under Drago Bludvist... he-"

"What did that madman do to my little girl?" Asdis cried out in distress.

His dad frowned sadly," He manipulated and brainwashed and abused the poor lass for her whole life, and she didn't even realize it."

Asdis broke down into tears once more and they didn't have the heart to tell her to stop, but she did and once she had calmed down she asked," Why doesn't she want to come home?"

"It's not that she doesn't want to come home," Hiccup reassured her," It's more that she's scared to, and scared that you won't want her or hate her or anything really. From what I've noticed ,and from what she's told us, Drago belittled her and forced her to live up to impossible standards and when she didn't meet them..."

Ingvar's face hardened," My poor little girl..."

Dad nodded," I'm so sorry, Ingvar, but we'll ask Astrid again right now, and if all goes well you'll see your daughter again."

"Where is she now?" Asdis asked.

"She needed some things," Hiccup explained," And Mom took her to go buy them."

Asdis nodded and then turned to her husband," If she needs anything else, just let us know."

"It's not necessary," Dad said but, seeing their faces, he relented," but we'll let you know just the same."

Ingvar nodded firmly and said in a voice full of unspoken gratitude," Thank you both, Chief, we'd thought we'd never find her again."

Dad looked at him once before turning back to Ingvar and nodding," Of course, and we hope you get your daughter back after all of this."

They nodded and Hiccup followed his dad's lead and got up ready to find his mom and Astrid.

...

Astrid was feeling a bit overwhelmed as Valka was practically begging her to buy every single thing she could find. Astrid had expected to get a few changes of clothes and a few necessities, but had never expected to be swamped by trinkets, clothes, dresses, boots, hairbrushes, mirrors, and furs left and right.

She knew she had to try and talk some sense into Valka so she said," Come on, Valka, I don't need all of this! It's too much, and you've done enough."

Valka and the ladies at the stands obviously didn't agree with her and she sighed.

One lady smiled and patted her arm," Oh, come now dear, let her spoil you!"

Her daughter nodded in agreement and smiled conspiratorially," Yeah, it's not everyday someone does that, wish my mother would..."

The lady swatted the girl's head halfheartedly and she dodged it laughing, and Valka only smiled and waved her off," Come on, dear, you can't tell me this dress isn't a dream!"

She looked at the pretty frock Valka was holding up and she had to admit it was lovely, but she didn't need it and she had already resolved to make a new start on Berk. Dresses were hardly practical and definitely not when she was already so indebted to everyone," I don't need it, though."

"Of course you do," Valka insisted," Especially when I've never got to have a daughter and I missed out on all of this. I can't very well dress Hiccup in this, so I guess you'll have to do."

Astrid laughed at that, but tried to narrow their purchases down," Fine. One dress, but I really do think we should get some more practical things, don't you?"

Valka sighed and nodded," We should, but I'll get everything yet! Just you wait!"

She grinned," I don't doubt that..."

In the end they ended up buying a few warmer shirts, a lot of warm leggings, 3 pairs of boots, some furs, skirts, and of course some armour to go with everything. They got a few other things and once done Astrid was thankful Hiccup and Stoick got there because she had a sneaking suspicion that Valka was eyeing another dress stand.

"Hey," Astrid called trying to hide just how grateful she was," You're back!"

" Yeah," Hiccup said grinning looking at his mom," Is Mom going crazy or what?"

She smiled but sighed tiredly," A bit...can you do something?"

He laughed," I would...if I could, but when it come down to it, Mom will do anything once she sets her mind to it."

"I was afraid of that," Astrid said huffing.

Toothless had the audacity to make what appeared to be a laugh and Hiccup joined him," It's your fault, you know?"

"Really?" she demanded skeptically.

Hiccup nodded," Mom likes you, and she just wants to make sure you're happy here. "

She bit her lip and considered that and relented," I guess you're right..."

He smiled gratefully and we joined Valka and Stoick as they finished buying everything. Poor Toothless was swamped with carrying some of the things and Hiccup and Stoick helped him out. She felt a bit guilty, but Valka didn't seem the least bit concerned. She got the feeling that this wasn't out of the ordinary.

She smiled a bit to herself realizing just how much Stoick and Hiccup and even Toothless cared about Valka. It was actually really sweet what they were doing, and she couldn't help the wistful feeling that overcame her.

Once they reached the house, they placed the things down before turning to her seriously. Stoick spoke first and said," We have some things to discuss, lass."

She frowned in concern," Oh?"

Hiccup shook his head," It's nothing bad...I don't think...it should be something good."

"What is it?" she asked hoping he was right.

"We spoke to your parents today," Stoick said.

"What?!" she exclaimed," Why would you-"

"They saw you," Hiccup explained," They wanted to know if it was you, and well...they want to see you."

Astrid felt panic creep up on her," But I can't! They-"

"They want to see their daughter and they want to set things right, lass," Stoick said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder," You don't have to go, but it would do everyone some good..."

Astrid didn't know what to say and cursed the treacherous tears that made their way to her eyes. She wanted to meet her parents, and she wanted to see what they were like and what they looked like, but she was afraid. She was afraid of seeing what might have been. What she could've had if she hadn't been taken, and she was afraid of what she would feel when she saw it.

She didn't want to further regret her entire life, and she didn't want to be reminded of what her life had actually been like, but then she thought back on how Hiccup was with his parents and how everyone else on Berk was like, and she realized that this could be her chance to get a taste of what could have been. And with that she made up her mind.

She squared her shoulders and mustered up all the strength she could and said," Okay."

* * *

 ** _Hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!:)_**


	8. Chapter 7

**_Hey you guys! I'm happy to be uploading this, but I'm sad that it's a bit on the short side...compared to the last chapter. Hope you still like it! Lots of really good stuff!_**  
 ** _I'm super excited about the new Race to the Edge episodes, hbu, guys?:)_**

 ** _Don't forget the favorite, follow, and review because they really do make my day! Enjoy!  
_**

* * *

Hiccup was amazed at just how strong Astrid was being. She was not the same terrified girl he'd seen a few weeks ago. She carried herself like a true Viking. The closer they neared the Hofferson's house the more confidence she seemed to show.

It wasn't until they were right in front of the door that her face betrayed her, and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulders. The smiled she offered him nearly made his heart stop, and he needed a second or so to compose himself. Mom looked at her questioningly," Are you ready, lass?"

She took a deep breath and nodded," Yeah..."

No sooner that they knocked did the door swing open and they were immediately ushered inside. The door closed and Astrid got to finally meet her parents face to face.

* * *

Astrid looked at the people in front of her and she couldn't help but gasp. The woman in front of her had her eyes except hers were filled with tears and the very sight of them brought tears to her own.

She took a hesitant step forward and she saw that the man had her hair, and he looked about ready to cry as well. She felt an overwhelming rush of love for these two people who had only seen her briefly, were weeping for joy at the very sight of her. Fath-Drago wouldn't have been caught dead crying over anything, and especially not her.

In that moment she made her decision and threw herself into her parents arms and cried. She cried for the parents she never knew, the parents she never knew loved her, and the Father who had supposedly loved her and kept her best interests at heart but had lied to her for 19 years.

Her parents seemed to understand and held her tight and wept with her, and their shared grief enveloped them and the feeling of being loved and missed and cherished made Astrid never want to let go of them.

Her mother lifted her face up," You've grown up so much...you're so beautiful..."

Her... father looked at her too," You look so much like your Mom..."

Her mother nodded," You're everything we could've hoped for."

She held back a sob. Drago would have never complimented her, he made it a point of addressing her flaws and making sure she did, too," Really?"

They nodded and she saw no cruel remarks hidden in their faces, no biting sarcasm, no mocking. Only love, grief, pain, and happiness. They stayed like that for a while before her father pulled back but not away and looked at Hiccup, Stoick, and Valka in gratitude," Thank you, you don't know how much this means to us."

Stoick shook his head," Don't thank us, it was Hiccup. He found her and he brought her back."

Mother brought him in for a hug," Thank you! How can we ever thank you?"

Hiccup smiled bashfully shaking his head and looked at her," You don't need to do anything...just make sure she's taken care of and happy...she deserves that."

The way he looked at her when he said that made her heart flutter uncharacteristically and she felt a flush of color make it's way into her cheeks," Hiccup..."

Her parents looked at her and then turned serious. Her mother dried her tears and placed a hand on her cheek," We understand if you don't want to, but we would love it if you stayed with us."

Astrid's eyes widened," Stay with you?"

Her father nodded," Only if you want, but if you did...we would be a family again..."

She teared up a bit just at the thought and closed her eyes in order to keep them in check. She wanted to stay, and she wanted to be a family, and she wanted to start a new life on Berk, but then she looked at Hiccup and his parents and hesitated. Valka seemed to notice and smiled reassuringly," Don't worry about us, dear, we'll come and visit often. And if you ever need anything we would be happy to help."

Stoick nodded," Aye, lass, go for it."

She looked at Hiccup who gave her his signature crooked smiled and nodded encouragingly and she took a deep breath and said," Okay."

Her parents rushed over to hug her and she laughed hugging them back.

Valka smiled looking a bit teary eyed herself and said," We'll bring your things over right away, and let you get settled."

She smiled back grateful," Thank you."

Valka shook her head," It's nothing, dear."

* * *

Hiccup was swamped with questions as to how it was that he was able to find the lost lost Astrid Hofferson after so many years. All of Berk now knew who she was and they wanted to know everything about her.

He knew she was overwhelmed but surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on how you looked at it, she handled it all really well. She threw herself head first into starting her new life, and he was proud of her. She had been working with Gothi ever since, and when she wasn't Ingvar had taken to teaching her how to fight. Asdis had even passed on her old ax, and she had begun training ever since.

He had seen her practicing and training and throwing and running, and all the while she seemed to be enjoying herself. He would've thought that for someone with as sheltered and harsh a life as the one she had, she wouldn't have taken to such things, but she was a Viking. And he had the suspicion that if things had turned out differently, it would've gone exactly like this.

He had been basically dragged into future chief duties, and Dad had been showing him the ropes. He guessed he deserved it for having snuck out and bringing Astrid to Berk and maybe...probably... angering Drago Bludvist along the way, but who was keeping track?

He would've done it all over again if given the chance, and Dad knew that, and he settled for the next best thing. He wasn't saying that he liked everything that came with being future chief, but it could be worse, and the fact that they had to protect themselves against such a big threat gave him the motivation to face the day.

He had one mission, though, and that was to get Astrid her own dragon. She seemed to accept the dragons, and was doing really well, but she had yet to actually ride one herself. Hiccup knew that it couldn't be easy for her, and with how she'd been raised, it was probably worse, but he knew that there had to be a dragon out there for her.

He was actually on his way to Gothi's to go see Astrid, and Toothless was as excited as him to see her. If it were anyone else he would have had the thought to feel jealous, but he found it endearing that Astrid could have won his dragon over so completely. But then again, it could have been largely due to the fact that Astrid loved to spoil him and snuck him treats every chance she got. He chose to ignore that, though.

They reached Gothi's hut and entered. Toothless immediately rushed forward and tried to find Astrid. They found her as she was tending to one of the children. He stopped in surprise as she tended to the child. It was a little boy not much older than 5 and he was whimpering as she inspected his knee. It looked like he fell and scraped it, and it looked a bit painful, but manageable.

He waited to see what she would do. She stepped back and nodded encouragingly," I think you'll be fine... we'll just clean it up, okay?"

The boy nodded tearfully and she smiled as she went to work. She cleaned it with water and a clean rag. Then she wrapped it up and tied it in cloth. The whole time she talked to the boy and tried to distract him, and eventually the boy was laughing with her, and his knee was taken care of.

"Now, make sure you're more careful when you try and ride your Father's dragon," she said sternly but kindly," You'll get your chance, but for now you have to wait, okay?"

The boy nodded solemnly and was on his way home with one last wave to Astrid. It was then that Toothless leapt forward and tackled Astrid to which she squealed and laughed," Toothless! What are you-Hiccup!"

He smiled in what he was sure looked incredibly goofy," Hey, Astrid, you ready to go?"

She nodded," Yeah, just give me a minute."

Toothless completely abandoned him as he followed Astrid as she said goodbye to Gothi and some of the people there," Mutinous reptile..."

Once she came back they headed outside and he walked her to her house. She looked up at him," So what did you do today?"

"Oh you know...the usual," he said wincing," I spent most of the day with Dad again...we dealt with some disputes, dealt with a bit of paperwork, and well...you know..."

She nodded in understanding and he asked," What did you do, milady?"

"I woke up early to train a bit before breakfast," she said," And then I helped Mom with some of the chores-"

"She finally let you help?" he asked amused.

"I know!" she exclaimed," It was about time! I couldn't bear to see her do all the work, but anyways...then I made my way over to Gothi's and helped a few people and let Gothi deal with the more severely sick or injured."

"Most girls would shout for joy if their mothers refused to let them do any chores," he said wryly," That's just..."

She rolled her eyes but laughed slightly," Shut up, but everything's been so amazing, and it feels like it's a dream...I just need a reality check every once in awhile."

"And doing housework is just that?" he said understanding.

She nodded," It sounds crazy but-"

He let out a chuckle," Oh, please, I know about crazy, and that is nowhere near crazy."

She smiled," Thanks, it's nice to know _somebody_ thinks so!"

"Anything else?" he asked.

She nodded," I hung out with Ruffnut for a bit. That was fun-"

"Ruffnut?" he asked a bit taken aback," Fun?"

She gave him a look," Yeah, we had some girl talk, she helped me with my training, and we got to get revenge on Snotlout!"

He chuckled, both girls had taken to hanging out together. He supposed it was because they were both close in age and the only girls in their group, but they really did seem to get along. They had both teamed up in trying to put Snotlout in his place.

That tended to be pretty hilarious, and he was about to ask what they did to his cousin, until he saw something ahead of them and he rushed forward. A blue Deadly Nadder had just collapsed out of nowhere and was lying almost limp on the ground. He tried to see what was wrong and was shocked to see arrowheads buried in her scales, and bits of a net tangled in her claws.

He heard Astrid gasp and turn pale before collapsing next to him and she picked up a piece of the net. He looked over and he was confused. The net very clearly displayed a sun as a decoration. He didn't know what it meant and he turned to Astrid who only uttered," Fath-Drago..."

* * *

Astrid couldn't believe her eyes, she would know her fath- Drago's crest anywhere. She'd had a few things herself, engraved with the same crest. Now, to have it on one of the trapper's nets, and an injured dragon which couldn't have flown that far for very long...meant that he was close...and he couldn't be happy with her.

One look at the Deadly Nadder, and she pushed all those thoughts aside. The dragon was obviously hurt, and Hiccup turned to her," Stay here, and I'll go get Gobber."

He turned to leave when she stopped him," What do I do?"

"Whatever you can," he said," Just make sure she stays here, and doesn't move."

She nodded and he got on Toothless and they were gone in a flash. She turned back to the Deadly Nadder and looked over her injuries. The arrows were the worse, and the other scratches would be fine. She took a closer look at the arrows. There were so many of them and she gasped as she noticed a familiar sedative goo Drago used as a last resort before he would order his men to...

She immediately got out some of her supplies from her bag, and took a deep breath before removing the arrow heads before they did any lasting damage. Thankfully, the Nadder was out cold, but she still made sure to be a careful as possible.

By the time she had finished, the poor thing was nearly awake. Astrid felt horrible for having hurt her by taking out the arrows, but there was no other way. She resolved to petting her as she regained consciousness and because she'd seen so many people on Berk doing it, especially Hiccup and Valka, she tried to calm her down by talking to her," I know, girl, but Hiccup will be back soon, and you'll get better, I promise."

The Nadder opened her eyes in alarm before she realized she couldn't move and collapsed. She was a fighter and refused to take it," Don't do that, please! Just calm down...you'll be okay."

She panicked when she saw that the Nadder's tail spikes were getting ready to shoot and she immediately tried to stop her. She tried to think of something-anything- and did the only thing that came to her which was to smooth them back down. The Nadder immediately calmed down, and looked at her confused. She nodded," I know, and I'm sorry, girl."

The Nadder squawked and she looked into her eyes before placing a hand on her snout. She got a strange feeling, and she had no idea what it was. No sooner than it happened did Hiccup and Gobber come rushing in.

Gobber nodded appraisingly," Good job taking those arrowheads out, lass."

She nodded, but asked worriedly," Is she going to be okay?"

Gobber looked the Nadder's injuries and nodded once more," There's not much that can go wrong now, the arrows are out, and as soon as whatever was on them wears off...she'll be up and about in no time."

She smiled relieved," Thank the gods..."

Gobber finished cleaning the wounds and applied special herbs on them. That was all we could do for her, and then we lead her to the hangar where she would be able to stay until she healed. They stayed with her until the sun went down, and she reluctantly realized she had to go home.

She gave her one last worried look before letting Hiccup and Toothless take her home.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!:D


	9. Chapter 8

**I'm very sorry for the very long wait! These past few months have been so hectic, that there was no time for much of anything. The last time I had any time to write was so long ago, that I can't even remember it. Long story short, no one ever really tells you how much work getting into college is. You know you have to apply, but no one ever tells you about the essays, questions, applications for applications, fees, SATs, ACTs, and so on. The classes aren't that bad anymore, but they had better not be when I barely had time to come home from a project, test, and/or volunteer work to eat, do homework, shower, and sleep. And while I had some chapters basically finished, the ending is still not finished, and the others are not set in stone either. I hope you guys are still interested in this story, and let me know if I still have it! Happy New Years, everyone! here's hoping it's a good one!**

 **I'd love to hear what you guys have to say, so please leave a review and make my day!**

 **And, of course, ENJOY!**

* * *

Hiccup was surprised to see Astrid had made it a point of taking care of the Nadder. She would come to the hangar everyday, and would bring a basket of fish and some chicken if she could. She would sit with her and talk with her. She would also groom her as the Nadder had been miserable not being able to do so herself.

The Nadder had also taken a liking to her. The minute she would get there, the Nadder's mood would instantly rise. When Astrid would sit with her she would make sure her hair was groomed, her clothes were just right, almost in return for the grooming.

When he would drop by he would tease her by saying," You're almost a true Viking..."

She would just stop what she was doing for a moment almost in shock before shaking her head," This is just until she's better..."

He was personally amazed at just how easily she managed to find her own dragon, whether she chose to admit it or not, all on her own. Most of Berk hadn't even been able to do that without his help. He wouldn't push her, but he was still very happy.

This was a change considering how bad things were going in general. He'd spent the greater part of the time side by side his dad with the headaches that came from trying not to worry about the unpending news they expected to receive from Trader Johann about Drago. The Nadder's injuries were more than worrying considering who had injured her.

They now knew to an extent of what he did, and now...he couldn't be very far from Berk if an injured dragon could make it there before collapsing. He was worried about what would happen to Berk, to the dragons, and to Astrid. If Drago was near and if he found her...he didn't want to think about what could happen.

For now, he was doing everything he could with his Dad to make sure that when the time came they were as ready as they could be.

* * *

Astrid laughed as the Nadder nipped at her braid," You sure are high maintenance aren't you, girl?"

She just squawked and Astrid shook her head amused. The Nadder was recovering beautifully, and the thought made her both happy and sad. She was happy that the Nadder was getting better and that she would be fly and fish and everything she should be doing, but as crazy as it sounded...she didn't want to say goodbye to her just yet.

The blue dragon was growing on her more and more by the day, and she liked to think it was mutual. But the minute she was well enough she would fly off, she would never see her again. Thinking about it tended to ruin her good mood, and so she decided she would deal with it head on...when it happened. For now she would enjoy spending time with her.

She had never thought she would say that, but life on Berk was agreeing with her. The people were wonderful, but it was the dragons that truly made it what it was. She had spent her entire life living in fear of these creatures for reasons that, now, were ridiculous.

Sneaky had come back, and had settled himself into the Hofferson household much to her parents' annoyance and amusement.

Astrid looked at the Nadder and realized that she hadn't referred to her by a name and found it unsettling. Nearly every dragon on Berk had a name, and the Nadder should not be the exception.

"What should your name be, girl?" she asked playfully.

The Nadder squawked almost excitedly and she laughed," Let's see..."

She sat thoughtfully and looked at the Nadder's blue scales which blended with the sky, and yet she thought back to when she first came to Berk. She'd looked like she'd flown from Hel and back. She seemed like the type to keep going through everything no matter how challenging or hard things seemed. She would keep flying until the storm passed...a storm flyer...

"How about Stormfly?" she asked aloud.

The Nadder nipped at her braid and nuzzled her happily and she smiled," Stormfly it is."

She turned suddenly at the incredulous chuckle that seemed all too familiar by now," It suits her."

She smiled at Hiccup and nodded," Doesn't it? She seems like the type to actually do it, too."

He chuckled," That she does, and you seem to beat me at coming up with names..."

She gave him an innocent look," What! I don't think I could _ever_ beat 'toothless'..."

"Oh, quiet, you," he said pretending to be indignant, but his grin betrayed his words.

"What?" she said and blinked innocently as Toothless almost...snickered behind Hiccup.

"Don't start, you mutinous reptile," Hiccup said giving Toothless a dry look," You're supposed to be on my side!"

She laughed as Toothless made a face and then leaped forward and downright cuddled her as Stormfly joined him.

"Ah, and now you do that!" He said rolling his eyes," I'm starting to feel betrayed..."

She grinned," And here I thought you were the 'great dragon master of Berk'..."

He frowned almost helplessly," You're _also_ supposed to be on my side, Astrid..."

" I am?" she asked sighing dramatically, but then grinned mischievously as she motioned to Toothless and Stormfly," Maybe...but I don't think they are."

"Very funny," he said shaking his head ruefully.

She shrugged fake modestly," I try."

"Anyways," he said," Gobber wanted me to tell you that he would be coming to recheck Stormfly, but she should be able to leave pretty soon."

"Leave?" she said frowning sadly.

He seemed to understand and smiled reassuringly," It'll be fine, Astrid, you'll see."

She forced a smile back and tried to believe him.

True to his word, Gobber did drop by, and promptly declared Stormfly was ready to go," She's a fighter, she is."

Astrid looked at Stormfly and smiled sadly," She is..."

Gobber nodded enthusiastically and opened the pen and gestured toward Astrid," Alright, lass, you know what to do."

She bit her lip sadly. She did know, but she took one look at Stormfly and didn't know if she wanted to. Stormfly nudged her and she patted her head," Let's go, girl..."

Stormfly squawked and followed her out and went outside for the first time in a week or so. She happily stretched her wings and she and Toothless...frolicked...around and she felt herself smile This was for the best.

Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. She nodded appreciatively and then walked over to Stormfly," Hey, girl, you ready to go?"

Stormfly nudged her and made a noise in question as if to say, ' _what about you?_ '

She shook her head," You're all better now...you can go home."

Stormfly cocked her head to the side and squawked her disapproval and nudged Astrid in dismay and edged her forward.

Astrid didn't know what to do and cursed her eyes that were beginning to tear up," You can go home...you don't have to stay here anymore...you can-"

And just when she could almost feel her tears welling up Stormfly defiantly stretched her wings, got ready to fly, and took Astrid with her.

* * *

Hiccup blinked in surprise when Stormfly managed to show Astrid the wonders of flying before him and chuckled to himself," Well, look at that..."

Sure she looked a bit startled but once Stormfly let her adjust herself, she did pretty well, and they were off. He turned to Toothless and Gobber who looked amused as well," I think that was a pretty good start, right?"

Gobber chuckled and nodded enthusiastically," We'll make her a true Hairy Hooligan in no time..."

They were just about to go when suddenly Fishlegs landed near them and said in an urgent tone," Hiccup, your father needs you right now!"

He frowned," What for?"

Fishlegs shook his head," I don't know, but he was at the docks with Trader Johann and it didn't look good."

He nodded and hopped on Toothless," Come on, bud, let's go...bye, Gobber!"

Gobber waved him off and he rushed towards the docks a bad feeling already settling in his stomach.

Toothless landed swiftly next to Stoick, Skullcrusher, and Trader Johann and Hiccup hopped off and immediately asked," What's wrong?"

Stoick gestured grimly to Trader Johann who looked completely worse for wear and shaken. His clothes were torn and dirty and ragged even by Viking standards. His eyes held a haunted terrified gleam only someone who'd been to Hel and back should be allowed to have. And he seemed to be shaking and yet was completely still. He frowned," What happened?"

Stoick sighed and said," Drago's dragon army has begun to terrorize the neighboring islands and Trader Johann...well...why don't you explain it?"

Trader Johann took a deep breath and nodded," I was at my usual stops trying to restock my ship. The only problem was, that while I heard the odd whisper here and there...nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Or at least until I made my way nearer to the Viking territories and islands.

"I made my stop at the Berserkers and waited for a full day on shore, but no one came down. I didn't know what to think of it until I made my way to the village and found it in complete ruins."

Hiccup's eyes widened," But what happened to the Berserkers...the armada...the-"

"They were gone," Johann said his eyes glazing over," All that was left were ruins, a few stray fires, and what was once a village."

Hiccup tried to imagine the Berserker's island empty and couldn't imagine anything that could have wiped them out, especially with Dagur and Heather in charge of things.

"I then made my way to the Meatheads and this time made the mistake of going straight towards the village only to come face to face with Drago Bludvist, himself," he murmured in a shaken tone that seemed to be on the verge of breaking down," He very calmly strode over to where I was and ordered some of his men to detain me...he demanded to know why I was there and what I wanted and where I had come from...

"I tried to explain that I was just a trader and had only tried to see why no one was coming to the docks...and then he grew bored and ordered them to take me with the rest of the prisoners after 'extracting' all the informations they could from me...

"I was in the cells for weeks...and they only got more and more crowded. I saw the other villages and even their chiefs except they were worse off than myself," he said obviously recalling a horrific experience," After weeks of not being able to get much informations Drago got the idea of using me to get a message... to you...Master Hiccup..."

"To me?" he asked incredulously yet warily.

"He said," You tell that dragon master boy...that I want what he stole from me, and unless I get her back...Berk won't be the last one to suffer the wrath of an entire dragon army"."

Stoick's face was stone and he turned to Hiccup," You don't suppose...?"

"Astrid?" he asked and his dad nodded," Who else could he want? He wants her back, but at what cost?"

"He's destroying all the villages around us, son!" Stoick exclaimed exasperatedly.

"But sending her back won't make a difference," he retorted not willing to give in," He's just wants us to return her to hold someone over our heads in exchange for our surrender."

Stoick shook his head slowly," But we have no other choice-"

"Of course we do!" he exclaimed," We can't give up before we've even tried! We have to fight-"

"I already told you, Hiccup," Stoick said tiredly," Drago Bludvist is not someone you fight or argue or mock. Those who do pay the price..."

"How would you know?" Hiccup demanded," You can't know-"

"But I do," Stoick said cutting him off before turning to Trader Johann," Will you be staying on Berk?"

Johann nodded," Just until I can figure out what to do."

"Of, course," Stoick said," You'll be very welcome here, but we should be going...there's a lot we need to discuss now."

He nodded and then seemed to remember something," He also gave me this, and said to give it to his...err- _daughter_?"

Hiccup's blood boiled and Stoick took the letter Johann offered and Hiccup had no other choice but to follow his dad back home where his mom was already waiting for their return very worried," What did he say?"

"Nothing good," Dad answered pinching the bridge of his nose,"This is just what I feared.."

Valka frowned and turned to Hiccup," What happened, dear?"

"Drago had already begun his dragon war and had already wiped out the Berserkers and the Meatheads...he'll soon be heading towards Berk."

She gasped and her expression hardened," What did Johann say?"

"He had a message for me...a letter for Astrid and he made it very clear that he wants Astrid back," he said angrily at the barbarian's audacity.

"Astrid?!" she exclaimed in shock.

He nodded shortly and ran a hand through his hair. He would rather face Drago himself than let him even near Astrid ever again.

Stoick looked at both of them before saying," Alright, here's what we're going to do. We are going to talk to Astrid. We'll ask her more about Drago and see if there is any hope for Berk...once we have as much information as possible...we will need to officially inform the village of what's happening."

"And then?" Hiccup asked hesitantly.

"And then...all that's left to do is wait."

* * *

Astrid cried out in joy as Stormfly flew higher and higher. She would be the first one to admit how amazing it felt to be so...free. As they flew over the water surrounding the island, Astrid reached out and patted Stormfly's side," Thank you, girl."

The Nadder crooned in response and they flew for a while longer. The sky seemed to go on forever and she couldn't believe she hadn't tried it earlier. Her worries seemed to vanish and all that was left was her Stormfly and the world that seemed to stretch out for miles.

For a while at least, she would enjoy the moment and they stayed up there for as long as possible. It wasn't until Berk came back into view that her thoughts went back to how much she owed Hiccup. He had been the one to show her what she was missing and he was the one that had shown her what her life could be. He had saved her, in more ways than one.

She was lost in her thoughts when suddenly a familiar figure flashed in front of her and she was surprised to see it was none other than Hiccup and Toothless," Hiccup?"

He looked frantic and the minute he saw her he seemed to calm down," Astrid! Thank Thor!"

"What's wrong?" she said frowning.

He frowned back and just said," I- we need to talk..."

Her eyes widened in concern and she nodded before following him to the Haddock's residence. She was surprised to see her parents already there and they rushed forward to embrace her as though convincing themselves that she was still there.

"What's going on?" she demanded looking around at everyone's anxious expressions.

Stoick looked at her gravely," I'm afraid that we've received some bad news..."

She stepped forward and approached him," What is it?"

Stoick placed his hands on her shoulders and she barely managed not to fall," We've received news of...of Drago, and it concerns you, lass."

She blinked and her breath caught in her throat but she managed to choke out," What does he want?"

"You, dear," he mom choked out almost tearfully," He wants you."

"What?" she said feeling as though her entire air supply had been knocked out of her lungs, and she struggled to control her breathing," Is this true?!"

"He wants you back, Astrid," Stoick said nodding gravely and then handed her something," He sent a letter for you."

She took the letter and looked at Fath-Drago's familiar handwriting. She saw her name very clearly addressed on the front and promptly fell to her knees. Everyone immediately went to help her up but she brushed them off and tore the letter open and read:

 **Astrid,**

 **I guess after everything I've done for you, it was never enough, you ungrateful girl. I am giving you two options. You either come back and I spare Berk the full force of my dragon army...or you can stay and watch as I destroy Berk. The choice, since you appear to like make your own decisions so much, is yours. I expect to hear from my ungrateful, pathetic excuse of a daughter as soon as possible.**

 **Your Father,**

 **Drago Bludvist**

A chill ran down her back as Hiccup helped her up and everyone asked if she was alright, and she wordlessly handed the letter over.

Her mind was racing as she tried to find something...anything to do. It couldn't be the end, and Drago couldn't really be serious. Either way, no matter what she decided everyone would lose-everyone but Drago.

It was then that she realized something and she almost laughed at her own stupidity. After being away for so long, she'd almost forgotten how it was that things worked. Of course he wouldn't lose, he was Drago Bludvist and he'd instilled it in her for so long, she wondered how she could've managed to forget it so easily. You either did things his way, or not at all... And yet, again he was still being somewhat lenient... The question being...why? Why would he bother doing so, when he'd made it clear that he didn't like her. He had gone so far as to say he hated her very existence on their worst days, and that she was a terrible inconvenience load of baggage on their better days. So why did he want her back?

Everyone had just finished reading over the note when her resolve overtook her and she made her way outside where Stormfly was waiting for her.

Hiccup called out to her," Astrid! Don't do this! Where are you going!"

She looked at him as though he were crazy," Where do you think I'm going? I have to do something!"

"No, you don't!" he said grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her hair back," This won't solve anything-you won't win!"

She tried to push him away and almost snarled at him," You don't think I know that?"

He stopped and frowned, obviously confused," Then why would you-?"

"No one can win against Drago," she said," you either accept defeat or pay the consequences."

"But you can't just give yourself up instead of fighting back," he tried to reason but she cut him off.

"I can if it means that he won't destroy Berk," she said and before he could say anything she was off.

Off to hopefully find some answers from her oh-so-dear adoptive father.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things are getting good! I can't promise the next update will be anytime soon, but I couldn't just drop this story so early on, and unfinished. It kept bothering me even when I had so many things on my plate. I hope you eventually forgive me, and stick with this because it'll give me more incentive to do so, too!**


	10. Chapter 9

**_I'm in a How to Train Your Dragon mood right now. Ever since the new season of Race to the Edge came out I've been in a Hiccstrid mood...so because of that, I hope you like this chapter! If you haven't watched the new season I would get on that right away because they had so many cute moments I lost count._**

 ** _Anyways, enjoy, and don't forget to review, favorite, and follow!_**

* * *

Hiccup could only watch as she flew higher and higher and further away. He tried to go after her, but his Dad suddenly appeared behind him and held him back," Don't."

"Let go, Dad," he protested only to be silenced as a thunderbolt came crashing down and narrowly missed Astrid and Stormfly. Stormfly squawked and Astrid looked around as in started pouring rain. He prayed she didn't keep flying, or else he would go after her no matter who got in his way.

Stormfly made a noise of confusion and Astrid was sensible enough to fly her down and before the storm got worse. Stoick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and they shared a look to which he said," I know, lass."

She let his dad lead her back inside where Asdis wordlessly handed her a fur to dry off. She dried herself off, and he was thankful to his own mom who handed both him and Dad a fur, as well.

They sat around the dining table and Astrid was the first to speak," So what now?"

"The storm has bought us some time," Dad said," I don't know for how long, but it's something...for now all we can do is wait for Drago to come to us."

He watched her look up sharply and frown," But won't that be too late?!"

Dad shook his head," Not if we use our time wisely...we need to ensure that the island is secure, that the dragons are as safe as possible, and that we know all we can about Drago."

Astrid nodded as though she suddenly understood," I see...and what do you know about him?"

He looked down before contemplating something and then he began," Years ago...there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced. Into our midst came a stranger from a strange land...covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin.

"He carried no weapon and spoke softly, saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons. He claimed that he alone could control the dragons, and that he alone could keep us safe...if we chose to bow down and follow him."

Gobber and Astrid's dad chuckled heartily at that but their laughter was cut short as Dad continued," Aye, we laughed, too...until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out, 'Then see how well you do without me!'

"The rooftop suddenly burst into flames and from it armored dragons descended burning the hall to the ground. I...was the only one to escape..."Dad finished looking down almost in pain.

Everyone was quiet.

"It wasn't until a few years later that he returned, and sought me out," he said," He initiated a dragon raid like no other...and all because I'd been the only one to escape. He came to Berk with a horde of dragons and began terrorizing the whole island. No one knew what to do.

"And then...just when things were at their worst and it seemed as though the entire island wouldn't make it...he found you. He demanded a trade. He would leave Berk alone for the time being...in exchange for you, lass."

Asdis spoke up almost reduced to tears," He gave us little to no choice, dear. He took you and it was either...he took you and left Berk alone...or Berk would be reduced to nothing and everyone on Berk...including you, as well."

"He gave us no choice, Astrid," Astrid's dad said," We gave you up...and prayed to the Gods that you would make it, and you did."

"He said he would be back," Stoick said bitterly," And he stayed true to his word..."

...

Astrid spoke up," I see..."

"And what about you, lass?" Stoick asked seriously," What can you tell us about Drago?"

"I was raised to believe that the only person who could protect everyone was Drago," she said," And that the people who refused to acknowledge him...were cruel barbarians and clearly deranged. They would hurt me and would try and harm him, and if he was harmed...all hope would be lost.

"He refused to let me do much of anything that meant going outside," she said before shrugging somewhat sheepishly," But you already knew that...I do remember when he would take me with him sometimes to see the dragons he'd captured. They would be in cages and would be fighting against them if they weren't already sedated.

"I would be terrified every single time he would take me, and once when I was younger and had only gone with him a few times...I'd asked him why he was doing that to the dragons..."

She closed her eyes and tried to remember that day, and she could almost see the dragons screeching and fighting and trying to get free. She's looked around to see why everyone was doing that to the dragons and Drago had only looked at her condescendingly displeased.

Hiccup brought her out of her thoughts," Astrid?"

She shook her head and powered through," He said that that was how things had to be. If that was what he had to do to keep everyone safe... Then so be it."

"Do you know who worked for him," Stoick asked," Who's helping him create his dragon army?"

She bit her lip and shook her head," I only know the most recent one..."

"Recent one?" Gobber asked confused.

She nodded and explained," He goes through dragon trappers pretty quickly...no one's ever been able to completely meet Drago's standards concerning dragon trapping."

"What happens to them?" Stoick demanded and she stepped back a bit before hesitating.

"Can we go to them and ask for help?" Hiccup asked his face suddenly hopeful.

She hated having to crush it but she shook her head," They're gone. Once they would become too sympathetic or they don't trap enough dragons...or anything really Drago would dispose of them and hire someone else."

"When you say dispose of," Hiccup began," You don't mean-"

He stopped at the look on her face and they were all silent once more.

"So then what are we supposed to do?" Hiccup said bitterly.

She looked down and muttered," I don't know..."

"What's the name of the most recent dragon trapper?" Gobber asked.

"He said his name was Eret," she said," He's lasted the longest...but that doesn't mean he's exactly well off...I know that he is as terrified of Drago as everyone else... He's lasted the longest only because Drago has actually taken to only punishing him when a shipment is lacking...I can only think of one time when he got an especially brutal punishment...to the point where I had to treat an awful wound...I think he was branded and it eventually scarred over but Drago promised it would be much worse if he ever failed to follow orders again. He was never late or short on a shipment again."

"Well, that rules him out doesn't it," Valka said who had been silent the whole time. I realized she had only been analyzing the situation and clinging to whatever hope she could get, like Hiccup, only to fall short and with nothing left to hold onto.

Dad nodded reluctantly finally breaking his silence," I don't think someone under that kind of pressure would be willing to try anything against Drago...especially considering all the others."

Mom nodded too but then looked at Hiccup," What do you think can be done?"

"Me?" he asked confused.

She nodded," You were the one who was able to find him, you brought Astrid back, and you're the one who's resolved most of the dragon problems ever since...you must have some ideas."

He cocked his head to the side before sheepishly running a hand through his hair," They're not very good...or even well thought out-"

"But they're something, Son," Stoick said," and right now...we could use anything."

* * *

Hiccup nodded and then sighed tiredly," Well, it's just an idea...but it's not one anyone of you will probably like...frankly I don't either."

"Well, what is it, Son," Dad said concerned.

"We need to talk to Drago," he said already knowing what they were goign to say, but cutting off any protests," If we could talk to him...see if there is any hope for Berk-"

"You don't think people have tried that, Son?" Stoick said incredulously.

"Maybe," he said," But what else is there?"

They were quiet but he was surprised when Astrid was the one to break it and said pretty bluntly," It won't work, Hiccup."

He frowned and looked at her questioningly," How come?"

"Your Dad's right," she said sighing tiredly," You're not the first one to try and talk or negotiate with Drago. I grew up watching them go down one by one, and I don't want you to be the next."

He tried not to be hurt at her admonitions, but he couldn't help it. He could take it from his Dad and he could take it from the village, he could take it from almost anyone else, but why did it hurt so much coming from her? " Are you saying I can't do it? I've done it before and it would-"

She frowned and shook her head," It's not you I'm doubting, Hiccup. It's Drago who I know for a fact does not listen to anyone if they're against him. You going there would be stupid. He won't listen to you."

He was silent but the gears in his mind were already turning with idea after idea and he was brought out of his thoughts by her pleading," Don't go, Hiccup."

He paused at her pleading face. Her eyes were wide with true fear, her expression desperate, and he couldn't look at her for very long before his guilt forced him to look down," I won't go alone."

She stared at him for a moment before nodding and he felt the guilt wash over him all over again, but he had to do this for her and for Berk.

This plan would be foolproof.

* * *

Astrid and her parents left soon after, but she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about what Hiccup was going to do. As naive and delicate as everyone probably thought she was, she was not stupid, and knew when someone was lying to her. Especially when that person was as honest as Hiccup was.

She knew he was up to something, but only hope he didn't put himself in unnecessary danger. Stormfly seemed to sense her unease, and nudged her comfortingly.

Her mom placed a comforting arm around her, too," It'll be fine, lass, Hiccup knows what he's doing."

Her dad nodded encouragingly," That boy has gotten out of more scrapes than even he can keep track of."

She frowned already knowing that this was one scrape that, if he got himself into, he wouldn't be able to get out of," You don't know that..."

They earned their house and her Mom just kissed the top of her head," Well, for now let's just eat dinner and decide where to go from there, okay?"

She nodded and let herself be helped inside," Okay."

They ate dinner peacefully enough and then Astrid made her way to bed only to find an unexpected visitor," Sneaky! What are you doing...here?"

She knelt down and the Terror perched on her arm and she unrolled the little not he had attached to his leg. It read:

 ** _I'm sorry, but this was for the best, and I know what I'm doing. Don't worry._**

 ** _-_ _HHHIII_**

She was ready to strangle one crazy stupid viking, and immediately opened her window and hesitated before calling for Stormfly who was in her pen," Come on, Girl, let's go to the Haddock's."

She put her hood up to block out the scattered rain and did her best to fly through the cold. Eventually they reached the chief's household and she jumped off and immediately pounded on the door," Chief! Valka! Hiccup!"

Valka immediately opened the door and alarm was evident on her face," What's wrong, lass? Is everything alright?"

"Where's Hiccup?" she demanded.

"He's upstairs...why? What's wrong?" she said frowning.

"Are you sure?" she pressed frantically.

Stoick ushered her in," Why do you ask?"

"Please check," she said pleading.

They frowned in worry but obliged and she followed them upstairs hoping and praying that the note was a hoax. Sadly, when they opened the door, they were greeted by a very empty room and no sign of Hiccup and Toothless anywhere...

* * *

 _ **And there it is! I wish it was a bit more, but this chapter was necessary for the next chapter. So keep a look out for that!**_

 _ **Hope you enjoyed!**_


	11. Chapter 10

_**This chapter is one of my favorites! I hope you like it as much as I do. Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! It would mean the world to me!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

Stoick had been furious to find that not just Hiccup had left but Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins were gone, too. Valka had sent her home apologetically as she tried to calm her husband down, and Astrid was left to process everything herself.

She couldn't believe that after everything she'd told him about Drago he'd still gone. And she was only assuming that's where they'd gone because where else would they have gone at a time like this? She had to do something, but she didn't know what.

She stopped in front of her house, and paused. She tried to go inside...wanted to more than anything, but how could she stay there knowing what was going to happen...because of her and do nothing?

She couldn't do that to them, and she couldn't do that to herself. As much as she wanted to stay on Berk, with her parents, with the dragons, with...with Hiccup, she couldn't. Hiccup was here anymore and he and the rest of the dragon riders were in trouble. She couldn't make them suffer, and she wouldn't let them.

And so she turned to Stormfly, and closed her eyes before climbing on her back and saying," We're going to find Drago..."

Stormfly made a fearful indignant squawk but Astrid pleaded with her," Please, girl, I have to go and save the others, and you're the only one who can take me there. You know the way."

Stormfly refused to budge and she felt everything falling apart and a few stray tears trailed down her face," Please..."

A moment passed and Astrid was about to get off when Stormfly took off and flew towards her old village.

They flew for a good few hours until they finally reached the familiar cliff and landed. Astrid got off and turned to Stormfly and whispered," Thank you, girl..."

Stormfly nudged her sadly and nuzzled her nose into her hair, and Astrid patted her thankful and said," Now go, Stormfly, you have to get out of here before they find you!"

Stormfly hesitated and gave a questioning squawk and Astrid shook her head and motioned for her to go. After much prodding and pleading Stormfly took off and Astrid was left alone to make her way to her old home in the rain.

Despite the cold rain pouring down, she didn't feel it. She was trembling, but not from the cold. The closer the house became, the more the looming fear she felt began to hit her. She forced her legs to continue, and it took all she had to keep going. It wasn't until she came face to face with the door that she paused and she had to take a moment to gather up enough courage to knock and not cower and run in fear like she'd been raised to do.

She'd finally gotten herself out of that habit, and a few minutes in front of this house, and all the courage, bravery, and strength she'd received during her time on Berk disappeared. She let out a shaky breath and knocked.

She stood trembling before, much to her relief, she came face to face to Hallberta who cried out and brought her in for a tight hug. She broke down into tears and buried her face into Hallberta's shoulder and let her smooth her hair, gently scold her, and hug her. She'd missed Hallberta more than she'd realized but at the moment she only made her yearn for her Mom on Berk who was probably worried sick and frantic when she finally realized Astrid wasn't home and probably wouldn't be coming home anytime soon.

"You're soaked to the bone, lass," Hallberta's concerned voice cried out.

"I flew here," she said without thinking but Hallberta didn't seem to notice.

She looked inside anxiously and lowered her voice," He's furious, and I'm sure you know why..."

Astrid nodded and Hallberta continued," Then why are you here, lass?"

"I need to talk to him," was all she said and then she peered inside the familiar house," He knows I'm coming..."

Hallberta only frowned worriedly and placed a hand on her cheek before ushering her inside without another word. She hurried her upstairs where her old room greeted her, and she was overwhelmed by the nauseating feeling that came from the sheer terror of being back.

Hallberta quickly undid her now unruly braid and dried her hair. She washed her face with a rag soaked in warm water and chamomile to soothe her skin from the rain and tears. The smell of it also calmed her down a bit, which she was grateful for. Hallberta wordlessly brushed her hair until it shined smooth, and let it finish drying. She then handed her a surprisingly warm looking long sleeved dark wine colored dress. It had long flowy sleeves, it reached the floor, and surprisingly didn't require a corset over it. It instead had some bicep arm string designed on the arms, and a belt made of the same string tied loosely around her waist.

She looked at Hallberta questioningly who only sighed and broke her silence," You've had a long day, and it'll only get worse when you go downstairs...you might as well not be confined by the uncomfortable and impractical clothes you were forced into all these years."

She felt a rush of warmth and gratitude towards her and said," Thank you..."

She nodded understandingly and smiled as she picked up the discarded clothing and appraised it," And judging from this you probably cast them aside the moment you could, huh?"

She nodded sheepishly before turning serious and asking," Where is he?"

She frowned and sighed tiredly," He received some unexpected...unwanted visitors, and well..."

Astrid shut her eyes and winced," He hasn't-"

Hallberta shook her head," Nothing drastic... yet, but I think he was waiting for you."

She looked at the closed door and tried to calm herself down and let the fear subside, but was unsuccessful. She couldn't push the fear aside, but knew that she had to suck it up and take it head on. And she knew that whatever happened to her...Hiccup and the rest of Berk wouldn't have to suffer the worst of it. It was then that she squared her shoulders and, with more confidence than she probably felt, said," Then take me to him, please."

Hallberta looked at her surprised but nodded nonetheless, and lead her downstairs where unsurprisingly Drago was sitting in his huge dragon skin throne like chair. He was unsurprisingly calm, as unsettling as that was, but she didn't really register that as she was staring at the all too familiar group of Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and of course Hiccup!

She sprang forward only to be held back by two men who made sure she was locked into place," Hiccup!"

She struggled for a bit before turning to Drago and she cried," Please let them go! They didn't know!"

Drago chuckled quietly in such a way that she'd almost forgotten how much fear it could instill in her," Oh, I don't think that's entirely true, my dear, the boy made it quite clear that he knew what he was getting into to."

She looked sharply at Hiccup who merely stared back at her clearly unapologetic, and she turned back to Drago and shook her head incredulously," What do you want?"

He didn't appear to care or even acknowledge her question, much like he'd done for her entire life, and instead looked to the nearest servant and ordered," Have dinner served now. I'm hungry."

It just so happened to be Hallberta who was the nearest and she seemed hesitant to leave Astrid but eventually settled for a quick hug and left to let the rest of the servants know.

He got up calmly and moved to take a seat at the dining table. She unthinkingly, in a flash of anger, marched up to him and reached out to stop him before he caught her arm and painfully turned her to face him. He growled menacingly and said," Watch yourself, girl."

She blinked and, deciding it would be best to play to her old demeanor, nodded meekly and did her best to look apologetic and regretful. It pacified him and she had no choice but to follow him to the table where the other men stood guard around the other teens.

She took her old spot at the table, and the servants immediately placed the food before them. Drago eyed her narrowly and said dismissively," Don't expect them to wait on you forever, girl, after today you will be helping them like before."

She frowned and looked at him sharply," What makes you think I'm staying here?"

He waved her off and took a bite of the chicken and a sip of mead and retorted calmly," Are you telling me you didn't come here to bargain for these pathetic idiots' lives?"

She stayed quiet and refused to answer which only made him chuckle," You know how this is going to go, and we're going to leave it at that."

"Will you really?" she asked suspiciously.

He nodded as though it were obvious," Of course, you are my daughter after all..."

She grimaced and tried to suppress the pang she felt in her chest. She wasn't his daughter. She didn't belong here. She belonged on Berk, with her parents, with Stormfly, and with the rest of the riders safe from Drago's clutches.

He seemed to notice and his eyes narrowed and his voice became softer yet harsher," Are you not?"

She looked down and refused to retort or agree. She refused to back down.

Drago moved to speak but Hiccup spoke up and shouted," She's not!"

"Excuse me?" Drago asked dangerously.

Astrid's head snapped up at Hiccup and looked at him pleadingly willing him to keep quiet," Hiccup!"

Snotlout chose that moment to pipe it," Yeah! She's not! Right, Babe?"

She looked at him sharply and he cowered slightly, but Hiccup continued, as the rest of the teens piped in as well" She's not your daughter, and she _won't_ be staying with you."

Drago was dangerously close to getting up and making them shut up, and so she said the only thing she knew would calm him down," Don't listen to them, Father! They don't know what they're saying..."

He turned to her sharply and with interest," Then you've come to your senses?"

She nodded meekly, she hoped, and said the words that shockingly came to her easily after not having to say them for so long," I learned my lesson...you were right, about everything. You...you were right."

She refused to look at the group, and she especially refused to look at Hiccup, as Drago looked smug at her answer and lifted his cup of mead in a toast," Well it was about time! I tried to tell you."

"But I didn't listen," she said as sheepishly as she could manage," I didn't realize it until I came to Berk...it was awful."

"And I'm assuming you met your parents," he said knowingly.

She nodded carefully," I did."

"And I hope you realized that they truly don't care about you, and that I've done everything I could for you," he said,"They couldn't have given you what I did, could they?"

Astrid forced herself not to retort, and merely shook her head," No."

He sat back obviously pleased and then turned to the group almost indifferently," I'm assuming you want me to let them go..."

She nodded carefully and placed an innocent pleading face on," Please."

He nodded shortly and motioned to the nearest guard," Let them go."

The guard hesitated and then asked," What about their dragons?"

Drago waved him off amused," Let them go."

"But-" the guy started before Drago smirked," They won't have them for long..."

The guy nodded in understanding and smirked, too," Okay."

Hiccup frowned and he looked ready to fight back or maybe retort when she gave him a look that said not to. He hesitated clearly torn between listening to her or not. He ultimately calmed down and stayed quiet. He motioned for the rest of them to do the same. They actually listened and Astrid internally sighed in relief.

Drago turned back to Astrid," Aren't you going to finish your food?" He asked accusingly," Or would you prefer not eating anything at all?"

She took a half-hearted bite knowing that he wasn't joking and shook her head," Of course, Father."

He nodded and then got up and said almost as an afterthought," If they're not gone by morning, Berk will have early Hel to pay..."

She bit her lip and nodded as meekly as possible and avoided eye contact by taking a sip of her mead," Yes, Father."

He nodded shortly and said," Goodnight."

"Night," she said and as soon as she was sure he had gone far enough away she turned to the teens," What were you, muttonheads, thinking?!"

* * *

Hiccup flinched as Astrid went from "meek" to fierce shield-maiden instantly. It made him guess that everything she'd said to Drago had been an act. If it was, she definitely knew how to play it up. He'd _almost_ believed her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair," Astrid-"

She glared at him," Don't you even try to talk your way out of this!"

"But Astrid," he said pleadingly," You-"

"I can take care of myself," she said and narrowed her eyes," I know what I'm doing. _You_ guys, don't."

He gave her an indignant look and cried," Come on, Astrid! Don't be like that! Of course we know what we're doing! We-"

"You're the one's that got captured," she said obviously not having any of it," I'm not."

He shut up and Snotlout, being ever so helpful, cried out," But we're being let go!"

"Yeah!" Ruffnut said nodding," He's letting us go!"

"Dragons and all," Tuffnut concurred obviously very proud of the fact but Hiccup and Fishlegs winced knowing just what Astrid was going to say.

She didn't disappoint," Because of me."

The group visibly deflated knowing she was right and they at least had the decency to look abashed.

She went on and said," He was never going to hurt me...I don't know why he won't, but I at least know that as long as I do as he says I'll be fine. "

"But he-" Hiccup started wanting to get through to her, and not willing to let her go to that monster.

"I can handle him," she said firmly," I've lasted this long..."

This time Ruffnut surprised him by saying fiercely," But you shouldn't have to."

He saw Astrid's face soften slightly at the twin's words but she shook her head," No, but that's how things are, and how they will be."

Ruffnut didn't look any happier, but Astrid tried to smile and said," I'll be fine."

Ruffnut nodded sadly and then rushed to give her a hug which Astrid returned after a second or two. Hiccup didn't know when they had become such good friends, but he was grateful she had someone who cared so much about her on Berk.

She turned to the rest of the group," You guys should get out of here...he wasn't kidding about wanting you to be gone by morning."

They nodded halfheartedly and reluctantly but Hiccup hung back and was the last to plead with her," Please, Astrid, don't do this."

She sighed," Hiccup, don't."

He looked at her with heartbreaking sadness in his deep green eyes until he too sighed and ran a hand through his hair," Fine."

* * *

She nodded relieved when all at once she felt Hiccup's arm grab her waist and pull her to him in a tight embrace where he buried his face in her hair and hugged her tight. Her heart was racing and she felt her cheeks heat up," Hiccup?!"

He shook his head and murmured into her hair," Just let me."

She nodded and hugged him back and breathed in his scent which smelled of fresh air, the forest, and the sea. He smelled of home. Of comfort, and the very realization made tears spring into her eyes and she held onto him tighter.

He pulled back a bit, just enough to cup her face in his hands and he looked into her eyes fiercely and said," I don't want you to do this, but I can't force you not to do it, either."

She was silent and watched the worry and grief and sadness pool around in his eyes as he finished," Just promise me you'll be safe, and that'll you come back."

She opened her mouth to protest when suddenly she felt his lips come crashing down on hers and the words died on her lips as she melted into the kiss. It was filled with sadness, pain, desperation, but underneath all of that it was still filled with love. A feeling she'd tried to place for months now, and had failed to do. Until now.

It was so obvious and it fell so right, and yet...it couldn't be. Not now, not here, not while Drago was still doing what he was doing, and definitely not before she did something to stop him. She wouldn't be able to enjoy anything while Drago was about, and she wasn't going to.

She would, however, indulge in this one selfish stolen moment and cherish it. It would give her something to hold while she remained stuck in the same place she'd remained her entire life. It would, at the very least, be her very last taste of freedom. The moment he left, everything would go back to how they were months ago. That was just something they would both have to accept.

They pulled back, out of breath, and she looked up at him tear pooling in her eyes," Hiccup..."

"Goodbye, Milady," he murmured into her hair and, after pressing a lingering kiss to the crown of her head, he joined the other dragon riders as they flew back to Berk. He didn't look back until he had already mounted Toothless and chanced one last look at her, and he was off. Leaving her wondering as to what was going to happen now?

* * *

He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid and careless and thoughtless. He'd thrown caution to the wind and had completely ignored the possible consequences. If he hadn't left, none of this would've happened. Drago wouldn't have captured them, the dragons wouldn't have either, and most of all Astrid wouldn't have had to bargain for their release. Now she was back under the care, if you could call it that, of the most crazed, barbaric, cruel, bloodthirsty man in the Barbaric Archipelago, and it was all his fault.

He tried to compose himself the rest of the way home where he was sure he would come face to face with his not so forgiving dad and would most likely end up facing another lecture from him as well. The only thing was that he wouldn't have Astrid there to talk to after. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to rely and depend upon her to lend an ear or just be there for him.

She had always been there for him, but when it counted he hadn't been there for her. Now she was gone and he had to figure out a way to bring her back," No matter what," he muttered to himself.

After a few hours of flying Berk finally came into view and they all looked at each other worriedly. He sighed and said," Well, gang, I guess we have to face them eventually..."

"My dad's gonna kill me," Snotlout winced.

"You'll be fine," Tuffnut assured him," could be worse..."

"Yeah," Ruffnut agreed," You could be stuck with Stoick."

"Gee, thanks, you guys," Hiccup said dryly," You're both so...encouraging..."

"That's what we're here for," Tuffnut said actually looking serious.

"Anyways," Fishlegs said giving the twins a look," What are we going to do about Astrid?"

"I don't know..." he said hopelessly.

"We can't just leave her there!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"I know!" he said tiredly," I don't want her there anymore than you do, but-"

"But you have to get her back!" Ruffnut exclaimed surprising everyone.

They all shared similar looks but she continued," She doesn't deserve to be there, and I refuse to let her."

Hiccup gave her a grateful smile," It's nice to know that we agree on that at least."

"Besides," she said more towards her typical behavior," I refuse to be stuck with just you guys ever again."

"Aw, you know you care, babe," Snotlout said smirking.

She rolled her eyes and gagged and was about to retort before they were met by the very ominous figure of Stoick the Vast.

"And this is it, guys," Hiccup said," We're dead..."

* * *

 _ **I hope you liked it! I finally had time to start writing again and so long, I hope I didn't do too bad;)**_


	12. Chapter 11

_**Hey you guys! Sorry about that cliffhanger...hope you aren't too mad at me. We're nearing the end, but still have a little way to go! Hope you enjoy and keep being awesome by leaving a review, favoriting, and following! Your reviews make my day! Thanks!**_

* * *

Astrid made her way back up to her room, and had to practically drag herself to make it. She shut her eyes and sighed tiredly as she went inside. Hallberta was already there and opened her arms out for a much needed hug.

She embraced her back, and murmured heartbroken," What's going to happen now?"

Hallberta shook her head," I don't know, but we'll find out tomorrow..."

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Astrid said trailing off past the verge of crying. She didn't think she would ever be able to cry again. It just wasn't possible.

Hallberta motioned her to sit in front of the mirror and started to brush her hair," You shouldn't let yourself worry, anyhow."

She looked up at her through the mirror sharply," Excuse me?!"

She waved her off," I don't mean it like that, dear, I just mean that you won't have to worry as much as you think."

"And what makes you say that?" Astrid asked tiredly.

"Because your...father," Hallberta said," just hasn't been the same since you left. He...whatever else he may or may not be, did miss you. And so you won't be harmed."

She looked at her incredulously," And you think that's what I'm worried about?"

"Well, aren't you?" Hallberta asked uncertainly.

"No!" Astrid cried suddenly angry," I'm not!"

"Then what are you worried about?" Hallberta asked confused.

"I'm worried about Berk," she cried nearly hysterical," I'm worried about my real parents, I'm worried about the dragons, and I'm worried about everyone else but myself. I know he won't do anything to me! But I don't know what he is going to do to everyone else."

Hallberta's eyes widened in understanding and continued to brush her hair," I see..."

"I just want this to be over," she said more to herself than to Hallberta," I feel like this is just some horrible dream that I'm going to wake up from, and find myself back on Berk, with Stormfly, with my parents, and Drago never even existed."

"But then you're setting yourself up for failure," Hallberta said simply," This is not a dream, and all of this is happening."

"And your point is?" Astrid said.

" That what you have to do," she said," is accept it for what it is, and use what you have to fix it."

"Fix it?" Astrid asked bitterly," I can't fix anything."

"Then I suppose you'll be quite happy to stay here for the rest of your life, while everyone you've come to care about suffers," Hallberta said in a completely blasé manner as she set down the brush.

She looked up at Hallberta at a loss for words," Hallberta..."

Hallberta just smiled tiredly and shook her head. Her expression softened and nodded towards her bed," Your nightgowns on the bed, goodnight, lass."

Astrid bit her lip," Goodnight...and I'm sorry...for..."

Hallberta kissed the top of her head," I understand, dear, don't worry your pretty little head over it."

Astrid gave her a small smile. Small, but genuine," Thank you."

And with that she got ready for bed, and hesitantly wrapped herself in the familiar blankets and furs. She sighed and forced her eyes to close. Before she could manage to will herself to sleep, however, she heard a faint growl and squeal, and she shot up. She tried to light a candle as fast as she could, only to come face to face with an oh-so-familiar little dragon.

"Sneaky?!" she nearly screamed, but remembered not to make a commotion knowing that Drago had most likely place a guard outside her door," What are you doing here? How did you even..."

But she trailed off and looked at the little dragon who took the moment to lick his own eyeball. Astrid shuddered but then rolled her eyes and picked the tiny dragon up and brought him up to the bed. She had to admit, that it would be nice to have some reminder of her newfound true home for comfort. Tonight of all nights, especially. And it was with the tiny little dragon next to her, that she managed to trail off to sleep muttering a sleepy," Don't make me regret this..."

But the dragon had already dozed off a long time ago, and the threat fell on deaf ears.

* * *

"Do you even bother to think before you go out and possibly kill this entire island?!" Stoick bellowed.

He shut his eyes and took a deep tired breath," I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" he bellowed," You're _sorry_! Is that all you have to say?!"

"No, but right now I don't think you really want to hear any of it," Hiccup said dryly.

"Well, maybe if you would think," Dad said," I wouldn't have to make you explain yourself, or any of your brainless, thoughtless, -"

"Look, Dad," he said trying to get to the point," I know I messed up-again- but that's not important right now."

"And what exactly could be more important-?" but Dad was cut off before he could continue as they saw his mom running up to them clearly out of breath as she got off of Cloudjumper," Stoick!"

"Val?" he said his demeanor completely changing in a way only she could manage," What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Astrid anywhere?" she asked," Her parents are worried-Hiccup?!"

He bit his lip and ran a nervous hand through his hair," Hey, Mom..."

"When did you-is Astrid with you? She's-"but she was cut off by none other than Ruffnut," Astrid's gone."

"Gone?" Stoick asked in concern," Gone where? Where could the lass have gone?"

"She went after us," she explained sadly.

Tuffnut nodded smiling a bit," She was so awesome, too. You should've seen her..."

He shut up at his sister's look and Fishlegs spoke up," She saved us...if it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here right now."

"So you did go after Drago, after all?" Stoick said angrily.

"We did," Hiccup responded," and we already regret it."

Snotlout nodded surprisingly, pretty genuinely, sad, "If we hadn't gone...Astrid wouldn't have gone either..."

"But where is she?" his mom asked.

"Drago captured us the moment we got there," Hiccup said," He took our dragons, and interrogated us."

"Did you say anything?" Stoick asked panicked.

Fishlegs shook his head,"No, but he wasn't too happy about that."

"Not long after that he had Astrid meet him," he said remembering seeing her looking both angry and terrified," He made her sit down to eat with him while we were being guarded."

"And what did he do to her?" his mom asked in concern.

"Nothing," he said still relieved about that," When she saw us she tried to fight him, but he obviously didn't like that and she got the hint."

"She's a pretty good actress," Ruffnut said smiling a bit until Tuffnut smirked happily," I taught her well..."

He rolled his eyes at his antics and continued," She played the meek and loyal daughter card once he kind of blew up over us arguing that he wasn't her father. She told him what he wanted to hear, and she...she managed to get him to let us go."

"He let you go?" Stoick asked dubiously obviously not believing it," Why would he let you all go so easily?"

Fishlegs frowned and said," I'm pretty sure he's expecting to get back at us pretty soon."

Snotlout nodded," He told the guard that he could let us and our dragons go because we wouldn't have them for long anyways."

"He only let us go for Astrid's sake," Hiccup said," He almost seemed to care about her...in a strange angry way. I only hope he doesn't hurt her."

"But she said he wouldn't hurt her!" Ruffnut exclaimed worriedly.

Hiccup nodded," But that doesn't mean we should just rest easy. Bedsides, while he may not hurt her...what's to stop him from hurting us. Astrid was more worried about us than herself."

"And she said she knew what she was talking about," Snotlout exclaimed," So Astrid only saved us for now which means we're probably next-"

Tuffnut looked at him for a moment and then as if his mind just clicked as if he'd solved a big problem, he exclaimed," What do you mean _probably_?! We're next!"

"Then what if he's coming to Berk soon?" his mom said her eyes widening in sheer terror as the same realization dawned on her.

Stoick nodded grimly," I hope the lass knows what she's doing, for both her sake...and Berk's, as well."

* * *

Astrid spent most of her time trying to stay under Drago's radar as much as possible. Unfortunately, that was almost impossible. He went out of his way to ensure that she was almost never alone. If she wasn't with Hallberta, she had a guard following her, and if there wasn't a guard, then she was with him. She'd been with him to see the dragon army, and it both broke her heart to see the poor creatures enslaved, and both enraged her to the point of wanting to break the innocent and meek facade and go after Drago herself.

But it was in those moments that she would take a deep breath, plaster a fake serene smile on her face, and remember that being reckless was not the way to defeat Drago. He was too powerful, and she would be stupid to forget that.

Instead, she would distance herself from Drago and travel around all the traps and cages. She would try and catch as much information as possible. She would manage to catch bits and pieces of information from the way too cocky dragon trappers themselves. Eret...son of Eret, in particular, proved too easily swayed. She just had to casually provoke his anger and defensiveness into spilling so many things he probably didn't even know she caught.

He'd let it slip that they had been raiding villages and islands and nests. They'd taken all the dragons they could possibly find and enslaved them under a huge white dragon called the Bewilderbeast. They'd gone so far as to challenge the Alpha dragon in one of the nest and sadly, Drago had one.

He'd also managed to inform her of when and where they would be striking next, and she would gasp and say that she just hoped they would be careful and go on her way with an innocent smile on her face as she joined her "father".

After dinner she would stay up a little later, under the pretense of wanting to read the Drago's revised dragon manual, and would write down whatever information she had managed to get. The tiny terror, did end up being useful after all. He had provided her the perfect method of sending the information back to Berk. The dragon lived up to his namesake so well, that she doubted anyone even guessed he was there at all.

After having sent some information, she always felt as though she was doing her part to protect Berk. However small or insignificant her actions seemed to be. Drago rarely went out of his way to see what she was up to. He probably relied on the rest of the staff and guards to not fail him again.

She'd seen what he'd done to the staff...or at least Hallberta. She'd noticed the lash marks of her back and had demanded to know where she'd gotten them. Hallberta had been hesitant to speak, but Astrid knew how to get her to tell, but afterwards...she was left wishing she hadn't.

If Drago had so easily lashed out at the servants, why was it that he hadn't done anything to her? He hadn't yelled at her, or even looked remotely upset since that first day. He seemed to have almost mellowed out.

After Hallberta had told her about the lashings, she'd gone to dinner a bit wary. Drago had noticed immediately," What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked lightly.

He frowned and looked her in the eye intimidatingly," You either tell me now, or I will find out myself."

She internally cowered but just said meekly," I heard about what you did after I...after I-"

He sighed tiredly and almost dismissively," After you left."

She nodded looking down refusing to make eye contact,"Yes."

"And what do you want me to say?" he asked already bored," I was mad, they disobeyed me, they let you escape, and I was supposed to be happy?"

She stayed quiet.

"Was I supposed to reward them with mead and a great big feast?" he demanded in his menacing growl of a voice.

She decided she'd been stupid to let her guard down and decided to once more play up the meek and harmless act," No..."

"Then why all of this?" he asked her.

"I just..." she trailed off.

"You probably thought that I was going to do the same to you," he finished once more.

She looked at him hesitantly this time, only to see him eating normally again.

"Well...aren't you?" she asked confused her heart pounding.

He looked at her with a calculating look before sighing and shaking his head," No."

She looked at him disbelievingly. While she had been the one to assume he wouldn't hurt her, she didn't think it would be this easy. She had handled a lot, after all, but never nonexistent," But why?"

"Well," he said after a sip of mead," not only would that make it impossible for you to do your work, but I doubt that it would make you want to stay."

She looked at him confused again. All of this was making her head start to pound, but he continued," You left the moment you were free, and that was not without reason. You've never been an easy child, and while you've been a horrible, ungrateful, and pathetic daughter...that doesn't mean you don't still have a temper.

"The second I do lash out, you won't be able to hesitate lashing back at me. You're a Viking...as much as that disgusts me. You are a warrior, it's in your blood. You fight for yourself, and you fight those who stand in your way.

"Right now, I can't be that person. I have my reasons, and I have better things to do than fight and punish a pathetic young girl who couldn't manage the simple task of staying put in the house where she belonged being a good daughter. For now, I won't do anything."

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before catching herself. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice and she stayed quiet.

He finished eating and then left by saying one more thing," But...don't think that you will be able to pull a stunt like that again, without any grave consequences."

And he was gone, leaving her to let out a sigh of relief and finish the already cold meal before her.

* * *

Hiccup sat back and couldn't help but grimace at Drago's next target. It seemed as though he were taunting them with how long he was taking to get to them. He just wanted to get it all over and done with, and get Astrid back.

He'd been furious when he'd first received the Terror Mail from her. It was just like her to risk her safety for the sake of Berk. He'd promptly thanked her for the information, but told her not to do it again. He was worried that Drago would become suspicious, and decide to take it out on her.

But, as was her character, she didn't listen, and they had been communicating for the past couple weeks. It was never much, and it was almost always straight to the point, but he couldn't help but wish that he was bold enough to tell her everything he wanted to tell her.

How he missed her, how Berk just wasn't the same without her. Nearly everyone felt the emptiness. Her parents, the people, the group, the dragons, Gothi, everyone.

He missed their talks, their moments, how determined she always was, how she always managed to help those around her, and how she would always manage to seamlessly manage to ensure that everything was okay...even when things weren't. He missed her blonde hair that gave off the illusion of sunshine, her bright blue eyes that reminded him of the summer sky even in the middle of winter, and her laugh when she was enjoying one of his many blunders, but most of all... her understanding.

How she seemed to just get everything he wanted to say, but couldn't seem to put into words, himself. He only hoped that she would be back and that he would be able to tell her in person.

* * *

 ** _So sorry it was a bit on the short side, but things pick up next chapter, I promise! Just hold on a little for me, okay! Let's just say that some of your guy's predictions are on point..._**

 ** _And don't forget to review!_**


	13. Chapter 12

_**Hey you guys! I'm so happy you guys have been enjoying this story! Things get moving in this chapter and make room for a big build up next chapter! Don't forget to review, fav, and follow!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

Astrid once more did her best to lay low after her discussion with Drago. He knew something or he was planning something or probably even both, and either way it involved her. She refused to be some pawn in his war, and if he thought otherwise...he had another thing coming.

His brushing everything off was no less confusing now, then when she first realized it the day he captured Hiccup and the riders. She had known he wouldn't hurt her as much as he would them, but to do nothing at all, was unsettling.

She hated it. But now wasn't the time to worry about herself. She did her chores with more vigor than she truly felt, and tried to make it through the day. She felt as though something bad was going to happen. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. She tried to brush it off, but couldn't.

All she could do was finish the food she and the other servants were making for the people involved with Drago's dragon army. Drago had ordered they make food for everyone and bring it down to the ships. They would be leaving towards another tribe and for some reason he refused to use their food supply.

She did as he said and went with the servants down to the docks and personally delivered Drago's food along with Eret's and his crew's, as well. She was directed to the main ship and was helped aboard. Her uneasiness only multiplied as she listened to the poor creatures cry out in their cages.

She steeled herself and put on a blank face in front of those who might be watching her. Once reaching them, she put on small feigned smile and called out," Father?"

He smiled his typical menacing smile and waved her over," Get over here, girl!"

"I brought the food you asked for," she said with a smile that showed much more confidence than she truly felt.

"I can take it, lass," Eret said charmingly and gave her a roguish grin Ruffnut would have most definitely swooned over.

She smiled at him briefly but said nothing as she wordlessly handed the food to him, and he seemed a bit disappointed.

Drago didn't seem to notice and instead shooed a man from the seat next to him and motioned her forward," Sit."

She looked at him confused," But I have chores to-"

He grabbed her arm and practically shoved her in the seat," That's not important right now."

She looked down and murmured," Okay."

"I'm sure you don't know where it is we're headed," he said conversationally but with a menacing undertone.

She shook her head," I don't."

He smirked and looked at Eret and the rest of the men around him," Then I'm sure you will be thrilled to know."

She looked at him hesitantly and saw the gleam in his eyes and her heart started pounding. _Oh, Thor...anywhere but Berk..._ She spoke up in a weaker voice than even she could have expected, and asked," Where are you going?"

Drago laughed quietly," As if you didn't know..."

She looked at him feeling her vision begin to cloud," Berk?"

Drago laughed louder and the rest of the men joined him.

"You'll be happy to know that your Father will be finally have ridden the menace that are dragons once and for all by the end of the week!" he continued in a gloating voice.

She nodded trying to mask her emotions. She couldn't afford to show how mad, angry, terrified, and worried she truly was," Oh...okay."

"Okay?" Eret asked incredulously," That's all you have to say, my dear?"

She looked at him and he frowned," I thought you would've been overjoyed!"

Drago frowned at that," Excuse me?"

 _Oh, Thor_ , Astrid thought, _this couldn't be happening_. She wished she could make Eret shut the Hel up, but he continued," Oh yes, we were talking about this the other day. Right, Astrid?"

She shook her head innocently," I don't really remember-"

"You asked me where it was that we were headed," he said eagerly," You were always here at the docks asking about how we were doing, and how we could've managed everything so far. And now you should be happy that all of this is going to be over and done with, right?"

Drago looked at her sharply," Did you do that?"

Astrid looked at him and was inwardly cursing Eret," I..."

"Why would you interest yourself in the dragon army, Astrid?" he asked standing up and now looming over her," Why would you ask Eret, why would you want to know what he was doing, and why would you want to know where we would be headed?"

Eret seemed to sense something was going on, and spoke up nervously," She was just worried about me and all of us here. Especially you, Sir, she-"

"She hates me," he sneered and turned to him,"She hates me, she hates you, she hates all of us, and she loves dragons, and Berk, and the heir to Hairy Hooligans tribe! What else did she ask?"

Eret looked at her, most likely noticing how petrified she must have looked and said," I don't-"

He cut him off," It doesn't matter. What matters right now is making sure that my pathetic disgrace of a daughter under no circumstances gets any more information to Berk."

Eret's and the other men's eyes widened and before Astrid could even take a breath she was soundly slapped across the face, and thrown all the way to the side of the ship where her head promptly hit the hard wood. Her head spun, and she could feel the throbbing bump already, and her head may have felt a bit cold as well, but she couldn't take the time to truly see as she was then picked right back up and Drago dropped her once more and gave her a sound kick. A sickening crack indicating that he had most likely cracked a few ribs.

Her vision was swimming as a few tears smarted her eyes and blurred it. The only thing she could really make out was a dark figure looming over her. Her last thoughts going out towards Berk and a certain green eyed dragon rider.

She braced herself for the impact of a blow that never happened as a blue figure shielded her from it, and an all too familiar squawk was music to her pounding ears," Stormfly?"

Stormfly checked her over in clear distress and nudged her up, but Astrid shook her head," No, girl, you can't be here! Go!"

Stormfly wouldn't budge clearly upset at seeing her rider in such a state and hissing at Drago who looked ready to explode," Put the beast in a cage where it belongs!"

Most of the men tried to do so and successfully tied her up but Eret hung back as Drago marched back up to Astrid, and just as he was about to strike her again he stepped forward and took the blow himself.

Astrid gasped and panicked as Drago's fury turned to his current top dragon trapper," You! How dare you intervene?!"

"But, Sir!" he tried to reason as he got back to his feet," She's just a girl! She's your daughter! She-"

"She's my daughter and I will do as I see fit!" he roared," You of all people should not have defied me right now! You're the reason I'm doing this! You were stupid enough to tell her everything, and now you openly betray me once more by defying me?!"

"No!" he exclaimed trying to reason with him. But of course Drago was not someone you reasoned with," You want to betray me? Fine! Then I will treat you the way you're supposed to treat traitors."

He called his men and gave the signal. Astrid couldn't bare to watch and let herself be taken by the darkness, but not before the arrow that was supposed to be for Eret was deflected by an outraged and protective Stormfly who was probably shot at next, and they both passed out.

* * *

Astrid came to to find her wrists bound and next to Eret who looked at her in concern and asked," Astrid! Thank the Gods!"

"Where are we and what-" she was cut off the pain got to her and she could feel her head pounding, ribs protesting, cuts stinging, and bruises already having formed," Nevermind..." she muttered through the pain.

"How do you feel?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"How do you think I feel?" she snapped and then regretted it as her whole being protested against the extra effort and feeling.

"Calm down, lass," he said rolling his eyes," You're not doing either of us any favors by getting all riled up."

She rolled her eyes to," It's your fault we're even here."

He looked up at her sharply," My fault?!"

He glared at him," If you had just kept your mouth shut, Drago would never have know anything!"

He glared at her right back, before seeming to think better of it, and he just rolled his eyes," Well, maybe if you had just stayed back and not done anything. I wouldn't have had anything to tell him."

She opened her mouth to retort before he cut her off," Don't."

She narrowed her eyes at him," Excuse me?"

"Just," he said quietly," Don't. I know why you did it, and now I'm starting to rethink everything, and so just-"

"You don't know anything you-" she was cut off again as he moved his bound hands up to his chest where he showed her Drago's mark branded on his chest and she gasped remembering now.

He nodded silently," Drago gave this to me the last time I came empty handed...he promised not to be so understanding the next time...remember?"

"Then...why would you-?" she asked confused as to why he would risk Drago's wrath after being 'warned.'

He looked away for a moment," Maybe because I felt bad for you, or because I wanted to be a man, or..."

"Or?" she pressed not completely believing any of those reasons.

"Or maybe because of that dragon of yours," he said quietly.

"Stormfly?" she asked confused.

He nodded," If that... _dragon_ was willing to protect you from him, then I sure as Hel was going to at least try to do the same."

"You say that like it's a horrible thing," she said frowning.

" Of course it is!" He looked at her sharply," My entire career and my father's as well have been a lie! Two generations of dragon trappers believing that those dragons were unfeeling beasts who needed to be contained and yet... they would be more willing to defend a helpless young girl than us!"

She almost felt pity for him...if there weren't more pressing matters at hand," Do you know where we are?"

He nodded silently," We're on Drago's ship on our way to Berk."

"Right now?" she exclaimed in alarm and moved to get up," But he..."

And then she stopped and looked down at her bound wrists and sank right back down," I can't do anything..."

"That makes two of us, lass," Eret muttered.

She paid him no mind, as her mind raced towards Berk, the dragons, the village, and Hiccup... She had failed them all.

* * *

 ** _Sorry it was on the short side, but I'll try and upload the next one soon! It'll make up for it, I promise!;)_**


	14. Chapter 13

_**I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story! I'm sad to say we only have a little left, but I'll try and make it good! I apologize in advance for the cliffhanger at the end...**_

 _ **Don't forget to follow, fav, and review!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

Hiccup hadn't heard from Astrid is two weeks and he would be lying if he wasn't worried. He tried to tell himself that she probably didn't have anything to tell him, but he couldn't his worry off.

He couldn't help but think that something had happened, Drago had found out, or maybe Drago was on his way now. He knew he'd been the one who'd been so sure of himself. He had been the one who had insisted they try and negotiate for peace. He'd been the one who'd been so overconfident in his abilities and those of Berk's dragons.

But when they'd gone to speak with Drago directly, all of that had gone through the roof. They'd been captured in minutes, taken in, and proclaimed prisoners. It wasn't until Astrid had showed up looking calm, quiet, reserved, and nothing at all like the confident and proud Viking he'd seen on Berk. Everything she said was what she should have said, but they sounded completely unlike the Astrid he'd come to adore.

She sounded defeated, anxious, and meek. It was like she was walking on eggshells around him, knowing that one wrong step could mean the end for them all. It wasn't until Drago had left them alone, that she returned to normal. She'd let them have it, and he'd breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't gone, and she was still the brave Astrid he adored. He only hoped she would still be here for him to show her just how much.

Toothless nudged him and he chuckled," What's wrong, bud?"

Toothless just grinned and crooned up at him mischievously and batted him playfully. He laughed," Are you really going to do this, bud?"

Toothless laughed, too, and was about to tackled him when he turned his attention behind him and sneered menacingly.

Hiccup frowned and turned," What's wrong...what are you-"

There before them were huge ships nearing Berk. They looked every bit as menacing you would expect from such a dangerous man. Drago was serious, and now Berk would have to prove just as serious if they wanted to make it out alive.

Hiccup brought out his sword, mounted Toothless, and sighed grimly," Well, bud, might as well go see what he wants..."

Toothless growled, but took off and together they joined the rest of Berk who had stopped whatever they were doing to face whatever Drago had in store for them.

* * *

Astrid hadn't felt the ship move in quite sometime, and she had an awful feeling in her gut. It could've been her ribs, which were most definitely cracked, or it could've been the bruises, or she could just be suffering from blood loss. Whatever it was, she didn't like it. They must be near Berk, and if they were, she didn't know why Drago hadn't just killed her already. She had betrayed him, she should be dead.

Unfortunately, that meant that Drago most likely had other plans for her. Plans that were most definitely worse than death.

Eret had tried to take the chains off of their hands, but had been very unsuccessful. Without something sharp, they weren't moving. Even if Astrid could have mustered enough strength, she still wouldn't have been much help. Her head was pounding, and she was just barely hanging onto consciousness. Eret had made it a very irritating point of making sure she was still awake.

She knew enough from Gothi that she most likely had a severe concussion. She also couldn't afford to lose blood, but there wasn't anything she could do. She didn't give herself long before she passed out.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, she felt a painful jab in her ribs and Eret's voice calling out to her," Astrid! Don't close your eyes, lass!"

She would never admit to it later, but she whined pitifully," But it hurts so much...I'm-I'm just going to close my eyes for a little bit...until-until-"

Then they were met with a blinding light that came flooding into the dank dark cell they had been placed in. A terrifyingly familiar voice called out in strangled alarm, "Astrid!?"

She managed to open her eyes enough to make out a hazy silhouette of Drago who was looking at her like she had grown dragon scales or something equally as alarming," What's wrong with her?"

She didn't hear an answer, and couldn't bring herself to answer it, either. He didn't like this, he didn't like much of anything really, and he grabbed her violently. Her ribs protested and she was brought back out of the fog. She felt cold. So very cold, but she looked up at Drago's face.

He was frowning, and she couldn't be sure in her hazy mind, but he almost looked concerned. The concern was gone as soon as it had appeared, but he still picked her up with more care that she had expected. Someone had grabbed Eret, and she was brought to one of the chairs that had been on deck before.

She lifted her head and, sure enough, there was Berk. They were right by the docks. There were dragons, people, and while she couldn't see him exactly, Hiccup.

Drago sneered down at her," Do you want to get him or should I?"

She tried to move, but it hurt so much. She managed to push herself up as she summoned any and all stubborn Viking demeanor she had in herself, and she came face to face with him.

"And just what do you want with him?" she asked in a surprisingly stronger voice that she would've expected, considering.

Drago might have thought so, too, but he only narrowed his eyes at her," You know why, Astrid. And now you can either get him for me or I'll have my men get him and then-"

She cut him off," I'll go."

He looked at her suspiciously," And how exactly are you supposed to do that?"

"On Stormfly," she said shortly and made a move to walk away, but he caught her arm sharply bringing tears of pain to her eyes.

She blinked them away as he snarled," You do realize that beast is gone, right?"

She tried her best to keep her vision clear and said nothing as she made her way over to the side of the ship. She ignored Drago's angry calls and pushed herself up to the side and then very clearly called out," Stormfly!"

There was no sign of her and she could vaguely hear Drago storming over behind her, and then as he reached her, Stormfly made to sweep her off of the ship. She would've succeeded, if she hadn't chosen that moment to promptly pass out once more.

* * *

Hiccup had made his way over to his parents where they were already anticipating Drago's next move. He didn't know what was next, but he felt uneasy. In the sense that he knew there was a certain purpose or vendetta against Berk as a whole. He knew what had become of other islands, and entire villages across the Archipelago, and he prayed to the Gods that Berk wouldn't be next.

Astrid hadn't sent them a heads up, like she had for everyone else, and that terrified him the most. Not the massive army of caged dragons on ships, not the swarm of angry men aboard those ships, and not even Drago, himself. What terrified him the most, was not knowing what had become of Astrid.

He was tempted to circle the ships in the hopes of seeing her, but knew that would be stupid, and unnecessary. He had to play his cards, right, and trust Astrid would be okay. She was strong, stronger than most. He would do it for her.

Stoick looked at him," Did Astrid send word of what to expect?"

He shook his head frowning grimly," I haven't heard anything from her in weeks."

Stoick tried to not look disappointed, but it crept into his face, anyways," I see..."

Gobber pointed at a bubbling object, or animal, coming up to the sea's surface," You won't need to wait for long to find out..."

Out of the sea, emerged an enormous white dragon that looked both menacing and cruel. It easily knocked over half a dozen ships full of both dragons, and men without second thought. It's tusks were attached to chains and shackles which were in turn, attached to (presumably) Drago's ship. It let out a loud, ear piercing roar, and riled up the dragons left of the other ships. In the distance he could see Drago's figure, so small in the distance, mounting the dragon, and commanding him forward...to Berk... This had to be the Bewilderbeast Astrid had warned him about...the new Alpha...

Once close enough, he moved a staff he was holding and let out a long, loud, and savage sounding battle cry. It was unclear what it was supposed to do, but he then pointed towards us, and the dragons gave a loud roar, and suddenly any and all dragons on Berk started flying towards them...as if in a trance-

Toothless even started to make a move towards them and if it hadn't been for his lack of solo flying abilities would have made it...

"Toothless!" he called out after him," What's wrong, bud? What are you-"

Toothless then growled at him and he jumped back hesitantly," Toothless?"

The dragons had all paused surrounding the ships. Toothless might have joined them if he could've flown without him. A small part of him was thankful he couldn't, as awful as that sounded.

The commotion stopped as they waited with baited breath. Hiccup brought out his telescope. Suddenly he saw Drago going back on a ship. He went down and then emerged with a smaller figure in his arms. Astrid! he thought.

They seemed to be debating something when she stood and walked over to the side of the ship. He saw Stormfly flying towards her and he saw her sway as she struggled to mount her dragon. He didn't know what happened but the next thing he knew, she was falling down into the freezing waters below the ship. He didn't have to think twice before mounting on Toothless and rushing to catch her.

He managed to catch her just as she was about to hit the water. He pulled her into his arms," Oh thank, Thor, you're okay!"

She didn't respond and he panicked," Astrid? Astrid!"

She opened her eyes and blinked up at him before smiling softly," Hiccup...am I dreaming?"

"No," he said heartbroken for her and moved her a bit," You're not, but are you okay, milady?"

She whimpered and winced at the sudden movement and then he noticed the bruises and cuts all over her skin," Astrid! Who did this to you?!"

She laughed dryly," Who do you think?"

He glared at the ship in front of them," Drago..."

She nodded and then winced once more," He wants to see you..."

"Now?" he asked confused.

She nodded once more but a bit weaker," He asked me if he should get you himself or if I should. I tried to go on Stormfly, but I...it worked out either way...you're here...right?"

"I'm here, Astrid," he said trying to figure out a way to get her to Gothi as fast as possible," I'm not going anywhere."

"You might not be," she said almost deliriously and she seemed to be nodding off," But it hurts too much...I don't...I'm just so tired, Hiccup..."

He shook her," Astrid! Don't close your eyes! You hear me! Stay with me...please!"

"Talk to Drago," was all she said," Protect Berk...tell my parents that I love them...know that I love...yo-"

"Astrid!" he screamed fighting back tears.

Toothless made a questioning croon but he only said," Let's go, bud, we have to talk to Drago. Now!"

They looked forward and noticed that Drago had gotten off of the ship and he was surrounded by a lot of armored men. Hiccup refused to acknowledge them and instead glared right at Drago Budvist, himself," You wanted to speak to me?"

Drago didn't look at him and was instead looking at Astrid who was passed out in his arms. He seemed to be staring at her in concern and that only disgusted him even more. He had no right to feel bad about anything concerning Astrid anymore. He did this to her and he would pay. He would pay and he would be damned if he let anything happen to Berk, either. He had promised her.

Drago seemed to sense his growing anger and looked up at him with a sneer and a cold laugh," I see the girl managed to do something right after all."

The other men on the ship joined him in his laughter and it only fueled his animosity towards the barbarian," That's really funny, only not to us."

Toothless growled at them. Drago didn't seem fazed and Hiccup continued," So now what? You wanted to talk to me?"

He sneered at him again. That look on his face was really starting to annoy Hiccup but he stayed quiet as Drago spoke," I just wanted to see what the son of Stoick the Vast had to say before I destroyed the entire island. If he would resent his father for not agreeing to join me all those years ago. You must really hate him now."

Hiccup barely registered his dad's presence beside him if only because of the growing anger that had begun to radiate from him.

"No," he said," I don't. The only person I hate right now, is you. All this loss and destruction...for nothing. What exactly is it you even want from all of this? To become unstoppable...to rule the world?"

Drago only nodded simply but didn't say anything and Hiccup powered on," Dragons are amazing creatures who can bring people together."

That's when Drago laughed bitterly and put his staff down to remove his entire left arm," Or tear them apart."

Hiccup looked at the lumpy stump of what was left of Drago's arm as he continued," I know what it's like to live in fear, to watch as my village was burned to the ground, my family taken from me, but even as a boy, left with nothing...I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons, and liberate the people of this world."

"Then why a dragon army?" Hiccup asked not believing what he was hearing.

"You need dragons to conquer other dragons," Drago retorted condescendingly.

"Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people. To control those who follow you, and to get rid of those who won't," he said looking at Astrid who still hadn't regained consciousness.

Drago only laughed," Clever boy, but Astrid did this to herself."

"I'm sure she beat herself up until she passed out," Hiccup said bitingly.

Drago glared at him," She knew who I was, what I was capable of, and yet she still defied me. Time and time again. I was forgiving, and she betrayed me. Traitors must be punished. No matter who they are to me."

"She did it to save the people around her!" Hiccup said glaring at him," She did it for those who want peace. Those who have the answer back on Berk. The place you stole her from. If you had just listened to her, you would've been able to see. Let me show you why she did it and-"

"No, let _me_ show _you_ ," he said and then let out a battle cry.

Out of the water the Bewilderbeast rose out of the water. It was dirty and scarred and angry. It was in chains and completely at Drago's beck and call. Drago moved his staff around and them pointed at Toothless who still had Astrid on his back.

His eyes started to become mere slits compared to his usually fully dilated pupils. He started to growl and snarl and seemed to be fighting an internal battle all by himself. Something seemed to take over because all of a sudden he threw Astrid off and made a slow but menacing start towards him," Toothless?"

He was just greeted by another snarl and Drago's dry laughter," Bud? Come on! Snap out of it!"

No response but the white dragon's eyes seemed to be fully concentrating on him. He turned back to Toothless in time to see his ready to blast him," Toothless! No!"

He waited for the inevitable but it never came. It happened too fast to register but suddenly he was pushed aside by a familiar blonde who screamed," Hiccup!"

"Astrid! No!" both he and Drago yelled.

* * *

 _ **Again sorry, but I hope you still liked it, things are getting interesting...**_


	15. Chapter 14

_**So...I'm sorry? It's been way to long and I really can't apologize enough. At the time I'd been writing this i hadn't expected my life to become so hectic so soon... It still has been pretty hectic, but it's manageable. I'd written this chapter in parts over these past few months. I then tried to find time to edit it, but never really felt like it was good enough. Now I'm okay with it. I wish it was more, but I really just want to give this story an ending. There should be one more chapter as an epilogue, so keep an eye out for that! Hopefully it doesn't take another half year...**_

* * *

Drago immediately called off the dragon who seemed surprised but immediately did so. Toothless was mid blast which he immediately swallowed when he realized what he was going to do.

Astrid fell into his arms and he seemed to be alarmed to see a small trickle of blood streaming down he face most likely from having been thrown off Toothless or at the very least reopened.

"Astrid?" he said incredulously at her," Why would you do that?"

"I couldn't let him do that to you or Toothless," was all she said not caring how much it hurt to speak with her ribs most likely broken," You don't deserve that. You-"

She was then yanked out of Hiccup safe arms and placed in front of Drago," What did you do?!"

"I couldn't let you hurt him," was all she said as her world started to spin with every shake," Not him."

"You are supposed to obey me, girl," he snarled," You're my daughter! You belong to me!"

"Not your daughter..." she mumbled feeling so tired," I had to save him...save Berk."

"You are mine!" he screamed in her face.

"But I'm not," she said as she mustered all the strength she had left," I'm not your daughter, and you lied to me about everything. My whole life has been a lie."

"You-"

"I am not a pathetic disgrace who is a disappointment to her father," she said," My real father loves me and is proud of who I've become.

"I raised you!" he bellowed," I am your father you insolent-"

"You are not! I have a father _and_ a mother who would have loved me with everything they had, and you took that from me...why did you do that?" she asked broken beyond care of how he may respond.

"You would't understand, girl," was all he muttered.

She refused to back down," Why did you take me? What was it about me?! Tell me!"

He looks at her in disgust and lets her down and she stumbles to regain her footing. She sees Hiccup making his way towards her but she shakes her head," Why did you take me?"

"I had just been mocked by every single chief in the Archipelago," he said," The only one who made it out alive refused to give into my demands despite everything I stood for...the power I would have...and then I saw you.

"You were there lost in a sea of chaos, but you were laughing...happy. I picked you up, and you smiled at me. The first smile I'd received since my parents were taken by these beasts. I knew if I left you on Berk you would be lost in the sea of chaos and destruction and fighting.

"And so I decided to bargain with Berk. I figured that a few more years would be nothing. I would come back, stronger than ever, and I would have a family again. It's not like your parents were very difficult either," he finished with a sneer in her direction.

"You made them do it," she cried angrily," You came with dragons willing to do your bidding and threats and then said you would stop in exchange for me. What would have happened if they hadn't given me up?"

"I would have killed everyone on Berk," he said simply," Including you."

"And what about now?" she said trying to brush of the shiver of fear that trailed down her spine at his cold reply," Are you going to go through with it now? Will it include me this time?"

He considers her for a moment, and then shakes his head," No, I don't think so."

She stops and narrows her eyes," Why not?"

"I think you need to be taught a lesson," he says coldly," What happens when dragons tear the happiness and love in your life right from you. You've listened to these idiots for too long and you've forgotten what I've told you!

"It doesn't matter what you say because for the rest of my life, as long as I live, no matter what you do to me, to Berk, or to the people I love...I will never stop fighting for peace. I've seen what it looks like and it's not what you've shown me. And now that I know what it looks like I'll know what I want, and like you said, I'm a Viking, once I've set my mind towards something, I refuse to accept anything else...that's the only thing you've been right about."

"Why do you keep fighting me?!"

"Because what you've told me is wrong!" she screamed and then repeated the words she had grown up knowing by heart," You told me Vikings were cruel barbarians who refuse to see reasons, and that dragons were cruel monsters you were saving us all from. But you were wrong. What you were describing...the monster you believed in...wasn't out there...Father...it was inside of you. You're the only monster here."

His face was impossible to read as the flurry of emotions flashed through it, but then out of no where his hand flew forward and slapped her right across the face. She welcomed the darkness as she had finally said all she'd ever wanted to say to her dear adoptive father...

* * *

Hiccup climbed on Toothless who immediately curled around Astrid's form protectively.

"I think she's said more than enough for both of us," Hiccup said moving to pick her up in his arms.

"Leave her there!" Drago bellowed.

Hiccup didn't listen," No, you're problem is with us. Leave her out of this. She's done enough."

His dad spoke up," Leave the lass out of it, you took her from us once, you won't take her again."

Drago sneered at him," I will take it all, and you will be left in the ashes of your beloved Berk."

"We'd like to see you try," was all Stoick said.

And that's when the true battle started. Drago made a few motions to his men and the catapults were fired, men fired arrows, and the dragons began to attack.

It was all so much chaos and yet Hiccup knew that he couldn't focus on all of that now. He had to go after Drago. If he took him down, everything else would follow.

He had to set Astrid down, and he got his sword out and moved towards Toothless who seemed to be torn between the Alpha's pull or defend Berk. Hiccup held out a hand towards him," Bud, come on! You can fight this! It's me!"

Toothless seemed to be coming back but he was having trouble," Please, bud, you didn't mean to almost hurt me...they made you do it. You'd never hurt me..."

Toothless still seemed torn and Hiccup continued," Come on, you're my best friend...you would never hurt me. "

The Alpha seemed to be struggling more and more and Hiccup continued," Please, bud, you're my best friend. My best friend."

A few more seconds of struggling and then Toothless' eyes dilated back to normal and he gave him the signature gummy smile Hiccup knew so well and he beamed," Atta boy! That's it! I'm here!"

Toothless nudged him apologetically and Hiccup shook his head," Let's just teach these guys a lesson they will never forget, okay?"

Toothless nodded happily and then allowed Hiccup to mount him. He made sure to put Astrid in a place away from everything. They did so, but then Toothless started to have a few problems blocking out the Alpha, but Hiccup grabbed a red cloth," Block him out, bud. You have to do this. We need to get to Drago."

Toothless growled his assent and soon enough they found him fighting against his parents. His mom was struggling to fight him off with her own weapon while Stoick seemed to be recovering from a few blows. Suddenly Drago's hits were cutting it too closed and Hiccup immediately said," Now, bud! Plasma blast!"

The familiar sound shot through the air and fired right at Drago's unsuspecting form. The force knocked him off of his feet but he didn't even look burned.

"How?" Hiccup muttered not able to believe the man could survive that blow without some sort of damage. And then he noticed his black cloak...it looked like it was made of dragon skin...and if that were true, that meant it was completely fireproof. The only way to take him down, would be to physically do so...

He saw his dad being taken by some of Drago's men and his mom tried to help him. Hiccup flew overhead all of the chaos and landed directly in front of Drago. Drago just laughed and sneered at him," You're back, Dragon Master?"

"Yeah," he retorted bitterly," You just can't seem to get rid of me can you?"

"Oh, but I will," was all he said before promptly attacking him with everything he had. Hiccup just barely had enough time to draw his sword before he attacked. He turned the flame on just as Drago's weapon clashed with his.

Drago's hook hit him in his good leg and it threw him off for a second, but he managed to slice his good arm in retaliation. Drago hit him in the gut with his hook and threw him several feet away. He tried to get up but his vision was swimming.

"You see now, boy?" Drago mocked," You're no match for me! I'm the true Dragon Master. You couldn't kill me if you wanted to."

And Hiccup didn't want to kill him. He didn't want to kill anyone. He didn't want to but he had to. Negotiating hadn't worked. Nothing he said would go through to him. He knew he would hate himself for choosing the easy way out, but if he didn't do it...people and dragons would die because he couldn't kill a bloodthirsty, power hungry, evil person.

A person who enjoyed enslaving innocent creatures. Who even terrorized the people who followed him. Who was Hel bent on revenge. A person who had made it his personal mission to remove those who opposed him from the bigger picture. A person who was trying to kill him and all of Berk.

A person who enjoyed manipulating people. Who had kidnapped a baby from her family and home. Who had brainwashed her-Astrid- into fearing the world itself. Who had hurt her.

The very thought of what he'd done to Astrid was enough to refuel his anger. He shot back up and fought back with renewed strength. They kept going and no matter how many times Hiccup tried he couldn't land a hit. Drago almost seemed to know when he would hit and would block it, or he would use his weight against his own, or he would move out of the way completely. Drago almost seemed amused, like he was just messing with him and Toothless couldn't get too close because of the Alpha.

It was turning into a never ending game until suddenly the sword was knocked from his hands and he was thrown aside. It seemed Drago was over the game and was landing the final blow. Hiccup then saw something happen in the distance. Toothless was glowing...and growling and shooting at something in the distance.

When he looked closer he saw he was shooting at the Alpha. But that was impossible unless," He's challenging the Alpha!"

Drago kicked him in the stomach," Like either of you ever stood a chance."

Hiccup glared at him and then looked him straight in the eye," Ditto."

And then without him even noticing, Hiccup managed to get his sword back and knock Drago down his own hook thrown who knows where.

Instead of fighting back, Drago merely laughed his sick sadistic chuckle," You can't kill me, boy. You don't have it in you."

Hiccup frowned and shut his eyes as he raised his sword. He raised it and he tried to do it. His head started reeling at the very thought, and he just couldn't do it.

Drago sneered," I knew it. You're no better than that pathetic excuse of a daughter, of mine. She's-"

And that did it. Hiccup brought his sword down. Drago stared at him and his face slowly filled with more and more rage. It only increased as they turned to the dragons and he looked truly crazy as Toothless seemed to be beating the Alpha.

"No!" he screamed angrily," Fight back!"

It cried it dismay as it clearly looked to be trying, but was failing miserably. Drago's screeches were turning into incoherencies that the Alpha really couldn't stand anymore. He looked between the swarm of dragons no longer under his control and at his master bellowing at him. He couldn't take it anymore and he shot some of his ice breath right at Drago Bludvist, himself.

He didn't see it coming. He was promptly encased in an ice prison. If he hadn't died from having bled out by now, the Alpha's final blow definitely did the trick.

The dragon wasn't done, though, and tried to shoot at the people and dragons on Berk but Toothless wasn't having it. He snarled something at the dragons around him and they begun to shoot at the Alpha simutaneously.

It seemed never ending but it was Toothless who managed to deliver the final blow to the Alpha. With one last blast, the massive dragon's tusk broke off and fell into the ocean below. Seeing his master taken care of and no longer being in power, himself, was enough for the dragon to surrender and swim off to who know's where.

Toothless snarled once more before quickly going to his side. Hiccup reached out a hand, but found it covered in blood. The sight nearly made him sick, but he powered through and grabbed some snow to wash it off.

Toothless crooned and he shook his head," I'm fine, bud, it's over... Berk's safe."

The dragon's around them all bowed their heads at Toothless and it seemed like it had started to sink in what happened. Toothless was the new Alpha...

The people around him started to realize that it was over and they slowly dropped their weapons and made their way to their families and beloved dragons.

Hiccup tried to find Astrid, but was relieved to see her in her family's very capable and loving arms. Gothi was already attending her and he was about to go over, himself, when he was engulfed in his dad's signature back breaking hug," Son, we did it!"

He chuckled and smiled happy to be in his dad's embrace after everything that had just occurred," Yeah, we did it. He's gone...and Berk's safe..."

His mother immediately rushed towards them and checked him over," Are you alright, Son? Are you hurt?"

He laughed it off halfheartedly," I'll be fine, just a few scratches-Ow!" he yelled as she made contact with a definite bruise on the back of his head and he conceded," And maybe a few bruises, but I'll be fine. I promise, Mom."

"What happened, Hiccup?" his dad asked seriously," One minute it's complete chaos and the next Toothless is glowing and Drago being attacked by his own beast."

"Toothless...kind of sort of challenged the Alpha in order to free all the dragons, and help me," he said sheepishly and then turned more serious," And then I managed to stab Drago, but his Alpha finished him off for me."

His dad looked at him sympathetically knowing what that had probably done to him," I'm sorry, Son, I would've helped if I could. When you jumped in, I was surrounded by his men and had to fight them off. I know this wasn't what you wanted..."

"It's not," he said looking at the damage around him. They would have to rebuild a lot of things like houses, stables, storage houses, and so much more. It would take a lot of work, but at least there was something left to rebuild," It's not what I wanted, I wanted peace. But peace would never have been possible with someone like him. It's was for the good of Berk."

His dad nodded with a fierce nod," Spoken like a true chief, son..."

He looked at him sadly and shook his head," Yeah, I don't know about that... I almost couldn't do it... I didn't want to do it, but I had tried to reason with him. Astrid did, too, and the thought of what he had done to her...it threw me over the edge...and I did it."

His mother looked at Astrid being carried to Gothi's hut sadly, almost as though she could physically feel her pain as well," The poor, lass, the man was a horrible human being to be able to do that to her. She didn't do anything."

"She didn't have to," was all he said," He was just that kind of a person."

And with that he kissed his mother on the cheek and nodded to his dad before climbing on Toothless and flying up to Gothi's hut after Astrid.

Asdis ran up to him in tears and hugged him. He wasn't expecting it but he just asked," How is she?"

Ingvar responded gruffly," She has a sever concussion, a few broken ribs, lots of bruises, some pretty bad cuts, and she's lost a lot of blood. She's not too great but Gothi thinks that she'll be fine if she takes care of herself while recovering."

Hiccup laughs softly," Yeah, good luck with that."

Asdid laughs tearfully," She'll be fine, my boy, she's a strong lass. I'm happy to see she ended up like that. It helped her so much, and it'll help her even more now."

He nodded and then asked," Where is she? Can I see her?"

Ingvar looked at him sympathetically," She's not awake right now. You can see her, but she probably won't wake up for a few hours at the very least, or a few days at the most."

He just shrugs and looks at them pleadingly," It's okay, I just need to see her, please."

Asdis points in a certain direction and then says," She's over there."

"Thank you," he says gratefully.

He walked over to a bed where Astrid seemed to be asleep. If it weren't for the many bruises and cuts all over her, he could almost believe she was okay.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize Gothi had snuck up on him until she pressed a cloth dipped in a liquid that stung," Ow! Why would you do that?"

She just smacked his hand away from touching the cuts and he sighed and fought the urge to hiss at the pain," Fine, do what you want..."

She rolled her eyes and cleaned his wounds. They weren't so bad. He just had a pretty bad cut on his stomach, thigh, and the back of his head was bleeding a bit from when Drago threw him on the ground. He would be fine as long as he kept them clean.

He looked at his leg and muttered," At least I didn't loose another one..."

It was just a reminder that he'd survived worse.

Gothi finished and then patted his hand and pointed at a stool knowingly. He smiled at her gratefully," Thanks, Gothi."

She just shook her head and went to attend to the other injured people.

He sat on the stool and Toothless sat at the foot of the small bed. He noticed Stormfly to the side of her bed and reached over to pet her," She'll be fine, girl, she's Astrid. She's strong, she's basically invincible..."

Stormfly only screeched worriedly and he nodded," I know, I don't feel better about that either..."

He grabbed Astrid's hand which was colder than normal and he looked at the her. He knew she probably wouldn't be able to hear anything he said but he had to say it," You have to wake up soon, milady, I can't do this without you. I can't imagine doing anything without you by my side ever again. I can't imagine a world without you in it."

He kissed her forehead and held her hand in his as the dragons around them rested a bit, completely worn out from everything that had happened. He tried to stay awake as long as possible, but eventually the moon appeared and his eyes closed sometime during that long night.

He awoke the next morning to a pair of bright sky blue eyes shedding happy tears as she happily threw her arms around him, and he clung to her like she was his lifeline. And in a way she was.

* * *

 ** _Hope you like it and hopefully the epilogue comes out soon!_**


	16. Chapter 15

_**Now I know that last chapter wasn't my best, and you guys were all pretty honest about agreeing with me on that. I am happy to see that you guys also understand that my priority was trying to finish the story, itself. I'm not really writing anymore, but I didn't like the thought of this story staying like this and leaving you all hanging. I do liek the idea of coming back to this story and giving it a more deserving ending, but it won't be for a while.**_

 _ **Anyways, this is the final chapter, and thank you to all of you have stuck with me to the end! Thank you!**_

* * *

It was all finally over. Every single year she'd endured at the hands of Drago was now at an end. Life had been good for her the moment she woke up to Hiccup holding her hand in his sleep. It wasn't perfect. She had a long way to go before she was allowed to go flying, or practice with her axe, or do anything remotely fun, but the people around her made it bearable.

Her parents made sure she was okay. Her mom helped her with her injuries, her father made sure that Stormfly was taken care of, and they both showered her with love and affection and understanding.

Ruffnut had come over to make sure that she wasn't too bored. She would tell her the latest things her brother had done and, more often than not, that was enough to render them both helpless to endless laughter. Her ribs protested, but it had felt like so long since she had genuinely laughed, that she literally decided to just 'grin and bear it.'

Hiccup had also been amazing. He saw her everyday. No matter what he had been doing, or how many people wanted to see him, he always made time for her, and she loved him for that.

Stoick had finally started to officially begin the transition of naming Hiccup chief of Berk. He'd proven himself capable of anything when he faced Drago and won, and he would be there if anything happened. Hiccup wasn't crazy about it, but he seemed less opposed to the idea than he had seemed before.

When she'd asked him about it he said," I guess now I understand what it means to put your people first. When it comes down to it, you will do what you have to to keep them safe. And if you can do that, then it all falls into place. The only difference is that I will also keep the dragons safe. No matter what."

She had smiled at him feeling proud of him, for seeing what was in front of him the whole time," I know you will. You'll make an amazing chief."

People had also come to visit her. People respected her for having stood up to Drago and for having sent them warnings concerning him while she was with him, too. She had officially gotten their stamp of approval as a true Berkian and she couldn't help the pride she felt at that.

The one visitor she hadn't expected to have, though, came a few weeks after her ribs were officially healed. She was tentatively flying Stormfly despite most people asking her to take it easy a little longer.

She was just about to take flight when a familiar voice called out to her," What do you think you are doing, lass?"

She turned to the voice hesitantly expecting it to be her mom or Valka and instead saw the familiar figure of Hallberta standing before her. She froze not believing her eyes. Hallberta just laughed," Are you gonna come and hug me, dear, or do I have to get you down from that dragon myself?"

Astrid laughed tearfully and launched herself into her arms," How are you even here?"

Hallberta sighed and kissed the top of her head," With Drago gone, some dragon riders came and gave us the option of staying there or leaving somewhere else. I chose to go wherever you were, lass."

She looked at the handmaiden tearfully," Of course you did. You've always looked out for me."

Hallberta nodded," That's right. Now show me where've you been living all this time."

And Astrid happily showed her around Berk. She showed her around the village and shows her the stables, and the arena, and so on. People are as friendly as usual, and unsurprisingly for Astrid, and surprisingly for Hallberta, people come up to greet Astrid.

Astrid smiles and introduces Hallberta who offers a greeting in turn.

"You've become quite a part of this place, huh?" she says quietly.

Astrid smiles softly and gives Stormfly a pat," I guess I have...is that bad?"

Hallberta shakes her head," I'm happy for you, lass, you finally have what you need."

Astrid then nears her house," Have you seen my parents yet?"

Hallberta shakes her head," No, I immediately had to see you."

Astrid beams and then waves her forward," Then let's go!"

She walks inside the house," Mom? Dad?"

"In here, dear," answers her mom's voice from the kitchen.

Astrid walks towards her and her mom turns," How was your-who's this, dear?"

Astrid smiles hesitantly," Mom, this is Hallberta...she was my handmaiden when I lived..."

Her mom looks at Hallberta in shock and then smiles warmly at her," Welcome to our home, Hallberta. My name is Asdis Hofferson."

Hallberta smiles hesitantly," It's wonderful to meet the mother of the little girl I saw grow up."

Her mom's lip trembles for a bit and tears shine in her eyes. She shakes her head," No, I'm honored to meet the woman who took care of my baby when I couldn't."

"Mom..." Astrid says reaching out to her, her heart breaking.

She just laughs tearfully," Would you like to stay for dinner, Hallberta? I'd love to hear all about the things my girl got up to all those years."

Hallberta smiled cheekily," Of, course, your girl was a real handful..."

She beamed," Oh, I believe it!"

They laughed and Astrid was left feeling like she should be insulted, but not having the heart to get in between their laughter.

She just shook her head ruefully and gasped when a pair a hands covered her eyes," Guess who?"

She just smiles even bigger and turns around," I know it's you, you dork..."

Hiccup pretends to be wounded," That hurts, milady. I thought you cared."

She just mocked his pouting face," Sorry, but I call them as I see them."

"I see how it is," was all he said before he pulled her in for a hug.

She melted into it. He hadn't kissed her again, but he had been more protective of her. He would go out of his way to hug her, grab her hand, or tease her. She liked his playful side, but wished he would at least try and make a move. She'd liked the kiss they'd shared weeks ago, but it had left her wanting more.

He seemed oblivious to her thoughts and just smiled at her," And what have you been up to, milady?"

Astrid smiled," Someone came to visit me..."

Hiccup looked at her in interest," Who?"

Astrid was about to respond when she had an idea and just smiled innocently," Oh just someone special."

He looked at her confused," I thought you said you didn't have anyone back there except Drago and he..."

She shook her head," They're really special to me. I've know them forever."

"Oh?" he asked probably more confused than ever.

She nodded," They're very sweet and caring and they love me as much as I love them."

That got his attention and he asked in what he probably thought was a nonchalant tone," Oh? And who is he?"

She smirked, _Got you..._ " He?"

"Yes, he," he said looking away," You said they loved you and you loved them."

"What's wrong?" she asked innocently fighting back a smile.

"Nothing," he said stubbornly," But who is he? He must be really special for you to be this happy to see them."

"They are special," she said," But you seem a little off, Hiccup."

"Me?" he said," I'm...I'm-I'm fine."

"Oh really?" she said putting her hands on her hips," Then can you tell me why you're getting jealous on me all of a sudden?"

He looked up at her slowly and smiled sheepishly," That obvious?"

She just smiled at him adoringly," It's cute..."

"Cute?" he asked incredulously and the word seemed to leave a weird taste in his mouth," I am not cute! I am a tough and rouged Viking who-"

She cut him off with a kiss to the cheek," You're _my_ cute and tough and rouged Viking...happy?"

He smiled down at her like she was the sun and then swept her right up to him with one hand," Definitely."

She looked up at him happily and he started to lean in when Hallberta decided to interrupt," Who's this, lass?"

Astrid shook her head ruefully and moved away from Hiccup regretfully with a sigh," Hallberta, this is Hiccup."

"Please to meet you, lad?" she said knowingly her eyes twinkling at her.

She ignored her and looked at Hiccup cheekily," Hiccup, this is my former handmaiden. She came to see me."

Hiccup shook his head at her with an amused smile," Wonderful to meet you, Hallberta."

"I just came to say that I would be helping your mother with dinner, lass," she said," So if you wanted to enjoy the rest of your day..."

Astrid smiled at the woman thinking that at least some things never changed," Thanks, Hallberta."

They older woman just hugged her and ushered them outside. Astrid suspected it was just to be able to share every single embarrassing childhood story of hers with her mom. When she told Hiccup as much, he quickly went back into the house and locked the door on her. She looked around to the kitchen window and saw him happily perched in a chair listening with rapt attention at Hallberta's tales.

The traitor...

* * *

It was an entire year after the attacks. Peace had returned. The neighboring tribes had for the most part recovered, and Berk was fine.

Hallberta had stayed on Berk and had taken it upon herself to take care of the girl she helped raise, this time with Astrid parents by her side. Hiccup enjoyed listening to stories about the tough little girl who went out of her way to do anything she could considering where and who she was at the time. She was every bit the stubborn, fearless, determined person she was now, only now she was more confident in who she was. And that made her even more amazing in his eyes.

Hiccup was nervous. His dad had officially decided to hand over the chiefdom to him, and today was the ceremony. He didn't know if he was ready or he would make it through everything without messing everything up.

He only knew that he would do it. He didn't seem so lost anymore, and if worse came to worse, he had people and dragons around him who would help him through it.

He heard a knock on his door and his mom smiled at him excitedly," It's time!"

He took a deep breath and looked at Toothless," You ready, bud?"

Toothless nodded determinedly and Hiccup laughed dryly," Well, at least one of us is..."

He stepped outside and they flew to the square where the entire village was waiting before his dad and Gothi.

His dad smiled at him confidently and he nodded.

He got off of Toothless hesitantly and looked around him. He saw people excited to see him and excited over what was happening. It didn't help. And then he saw her. She was looking at him confidently and reassuringly and with so much happiness for him that he found himself unconsciously relaxing and calming down. He smiled at her gratefully and she just shook her head affectionately.

Gothi snapped him back to reality and she was holding out a bowl of ashes and soot. He knelt down before her and she drew the symbol on his forehead before bowing her head and motioning him to rise. He did so a bit shakily and he took a deep breath before daring to look his dad in the eyes. He smiled proudly, and Hiccup could've sworn he saw tears in his eyes before he bellowed," The chief has come home!"

"Long live the chief! Long live the chief," could be heard throughout the square, and he took it all in.

He made eye contact with Astrid for a moment before he decided to throw caution to the wind and walked forward to her.

She looked at him confused," What's wrong, Hiccup? What are you doing?"

He didn't answer and just swept her up to him and just smiled down at her," This."

And he kissed her. It was every bit as amazing as the first time. While their first kiss was filled with sadness and pain and desperation, this one was filled with happiness, affection, and hope. The one things that was still there, however, was love. It had been there then and it was there now.

He felt her melt into the kiss and kiss him back in the way he's come to know and love. He got lost in her scent. She smelled of sunshine and fresh air and roses. She smelled of hope and freedom. Of the the very things he'd searched for for most of his life and the realization made him hold onto her tighter.

It fell so right, and it had seemed so impossible back then for her. He'd known she was scared of the consequences. He hadn't listened and had clung to the hope she'd instilled in him. Of a time when they wouldn't have to worry about Drago or a dragon army or those they loved in danger.

He'd fought for her, though, and now here they were. Happy, safe, and together.

He pulled back, out of breath, and she looked up at him with a clear blue eyes and whispered," Hiccup..."

"I love you, Milady," he murmured into her hair and, after pressed a lingering kiss to the crown of her head, he took her hand and they walked hand in hand among the crowd to the awaiting party celebrating him as the new chief of Berk.

He didn't notice the cheers grow louder or his parents sharing a knowing look between them, or anything. He just noticed her and felt her hand in his and he held tight. He held her hand tight knowing that with her by his side he would get though it all. No matter what happened.

* * *

 _ **And...the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this for what it was, and I am sorry it couldn't be more...**_

 _ **Please review, favorite, and follow (for when I go back to fix these chapters!) and thank again!**_


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